I am a person who typically loves the black and white. Rules are there for a reason. If you break a rule, there are consequences. When those consequences are not enforced, I get frustrated.
If you “preach” something, or advise others what to do, you should do that thing yourself. When people don’t practice what they preach, I get equally frustrated.
But that also comes with the responsibility to practice what I preach as well.
Taking a Little Step Back
Some central themes in my blogging have been self-discipline and rhythms of rest. As I have typed and processed, it has caused me to think about my priorities, the things I’m doing well, the things I’m doing not so well, and if there’s anything I need to change or even let go of. To preach it, I must practice it.
And I have in some ways. These new rhythms of rest – our Sabbath and prioritizing weekly date nights – are helping us to spend more time as a family and dwell more deeply on God’s story and goodness. Observing the church calendar is slowly helping shape our lives around the story of God and finding our place in it. To preach it, I must practice it.
And in some ways, I have not. I’ve begun to think, maybe I’ve taken on too much. Maybe I need to take a little step back from some things. I’m going to start here in this space. Instead of blogging twice a week, I’m going to blog once a week. If that’s not enough, then maybe once every two weeks.
Others Above Ourselves
I have LOVED writing on this blog and have no plans of stopping soon. It has been a great way for me to get out some of my thoughts and use writing as a form of art. But it has also taken a lot more of my time than I expected. It has caused me to sometimes put off school work or taking care of my home. It has caused me to put some of my priorities in the background.
We can try to do everything – and maybe we even can – but that doesn’t mean we’re doing everything well. There is no prize for doing more and more and more. There are often consequences. We lose sleep, let things go, and maybe even let our relationships with others suffer.
In this season of life, I am first called to be a wife who supports her husband in his work and school and a mom who loves, nurtures, and trains her children. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
If I am to practice what I preach, I must put the interests of my husband and my children above myself. They are the priority. My “extras” – my school, my music, my writing – are just that. They’re extras, and they’re not the first priority. That means they sometimes need to be evaluated.
Now I also believe that moms should have things that help them learn, grow, and express creativity. I will still take part in all of these things, just maybe a little less as I consider the interests of my family above my own. It’s not easy to come to, and it’s hard to say no and step back. In our busy season of life though, it’s my calling and responsibility to do so. I want to be a mom who puts first the love, nurture, and training of her children. I want to be a wife whose husband knows he is loved and supported. I want to be a woman who means what she says and takes the commands of God seriously. So I reevaluate, allow the Holy Spirit to convict me, change, and grow.
May we be mamas, wives, and women who put others’ interests above our own. May we be mamas, wives, and women who listen to and obey the commands of God.