Well, my thoughts for today could be considered controversial by many of you. Oh how I wish we could all sit and have a big girl talk with this one!!! I am calling out what I see as a huge mixed message that Christian women today are receiving from every direction!! It has to do with where we as women stand in the priorities of our lives........taking care of ourselves and our needs and desires vs the J(jesus first) O(others 2nd) Y(you last). Do you see the contradiction???
If you turn on Dr. Phil or The Today Show, you will be bombarded with the message of take care of yourself first so you can be better at taking care of all the loved ones in your life. That does make total sense!! After all, give me a spa weekend, a good therapist, and plenty of girl time with my friends, and I do feel rested and happy! However, at this point in my journey as a mother, doing these things often means missing something in my life as a servant to GOD and others. This message I am hearing from these media sources is that you need to put yourself FIRST in order to be the best you can be!
Why are they saying this?? Because women out there are depressed, overweight, turning to daily cocktail times and prescription drugs, and just plain unhappy!! So, what does the secular world tell us to do about that??? Put ourselves first?
We can lead ourselves down a very destructive path is the message we are giving ourselves daily is, "I have 3 kids, so I deserve __________". Really?? What do we deserve? We are sad sinners that are what we are by God's amazing mercy and grace. Everything we receive is a gift! What about what Jesus says about our priorities? It is actually the total opposite. I THINK what He says is the ticket to happiness. Don't you?
Matthew 22:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
The biggest lesson I have learned over the last couple of weeks is that obedience equals blessings! It is really hard to believe sometimes, but I am now a believer. If we put God first, serve others, and then take care of ourselves, we will be living a life full of abundant blessings!!! That means giving up things that our obstructing a divine relationship with Him, and that means getting your priorities in order!
I am SO not saying that we should not take time out for ourselves, but perhaps it should be done at the end of the day when God says to us, "well done good and faithful servant"? Or perhaps it is done by spending that time with God in Christian fellowship while at the spa? Hey aren't we women the queens of multitasking?
As for me, I will try to keep looking out for #6 (God, husband, kid 1, kid 2, kid 3, me=#6) and not forget who the real #1 is!
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