Wednesday, April 29, 2015

on Mothering


"...the influence of a Christian mother for God must be a decidedly Christian influence. It is not some cheap, emotional attraction which would come naturally from the fact of motherhood. A mother in a home with untrained, undisciplined children, no power of God, no authority of the Bible, no strict accountability for sin, will have little influence for Christ."-JR

Mothering is not an easy or glamorous job. It is overlooked and belittled  in the current day and age. Mothering is more often than not despised..."oh. you stay home." "What!? why?! don't you realize you are wasting away doing nothing for yourself?!" how many times do I hear this....yet mothers have the greatest influence on their children. How can this "job" not be the most important?! we are shaping the future!  take a look around at the young generation today. What other time in history do we see a higher rate of crime? what other time more than now do we need mothers to hold to the right?

"The way to stop the increase of crime among youth is to stop raising criminals. Dr. Spock, with his silly teaching of not crossing children, and the Dewey philosophy in education, along with worldliness, and a cowardly pulpit, have raised a generation without respect for authority.  That means without respect for the government, the policemen, the teacher; without respect for the law of the land; without respect for the preacher; and so without respect for father and mother, or for God."-JR

I'm a mother who daily struggles with my "job"...I often neglect my duties and fail to hold fast to the right...I question, I fall, I cry. This job is not glamourous....most days I have no clean dishes, the dogs are licking the floor, the laundry has challenged Mount Everest and I am in my pajamas trying to maintain the classroom as my world falls apart around me. Yeah me....mom of the year award! Library books are overdue, we have no milk for the second day in a row, I haven't corrected papers for several days, the girls'  hair stinks let alone needs a good trimming, another week has gone by and I still haven't washed the sheets, lunch was served around 2pm, six people call my momma and are pretty much constantly "mommaing" me.....I get it. This is not a 9-5 job where you get to dress up and look like a real person for the day...I soo get it!

So mothers I just want to encourage you as I have been to stick with it...the world (aka. Satan) is out to get you and your children. Literally we are in a war for our children. They need us to stand and fight for them now and meanwhile to arm them for the future where they will have to fight those battles on their own. Don't send them out without the proper equipment!! Don't give up eternal treasures in heaven for the pleasures of this world for a season.

Motherhood-Two Sides of the Question



The One Side
It's such a waste of time to cook,
I'm just a walking cookery book,
I make and bake the morning through
The favorite pies and pudding, too.
And then, in half an hour, or less
My toil has gone to nothingness.
It's a waste of time to dust the stairs,
To clean the brass, and polish chairs,
To sweep, and pick up bits of fluff,
For nothing's ever clean enough.
Five minutes after I have done,
Someone is sure to romp and run,
Kick out the stair-rods, flick the mats,
And slam the doors and scare the cats.

Some sticky hand is sure to press
The brasses from their sprightliness.
I tidy up, and do the dusting,
But all the while, my wings are rusting.
Then, washing day, it seems to me
Is just a waste of energy.
What use to stand before a tub
And soak and rinse, and blue and rub?
Next week the self-same garment's stain
Will come into my hands again.
It's such a waste of time to mend,
One has no sooner reached the end
Of last week's pile, then--need you ask it?
This week's fills up the mending basket.
The stockings which were hale and hearty
Return from each picnicking party
Weak and worn and wanly show
Great gaping holes in heel and toe,
While buttons have a cantankerous way
Of disappearing every day.
Sponging off the spots and ironing creases
Between it all I'm worn to pices.
Woman, from cradle to grave
Is nothing but a galley slave.

The Other Side
I've done an angel's work today!
Yes, such an honor came my way.
Real angel's work! And, lest you doubt it,
I'm going to tell you all about it.
Well, first, I cooked. it was so nice
To plan the pies, stewed fruit, and rice.
God sent His angel once to make
Cakes for a poor wayfarer's sake.
But, just today He honored me,
And sent the task my way, you see.
Then, while I tidies up the place,
Gave every knob a radiant face
Back of my mind this thought would lurk,
That I was still at angel's work.
Putting away coats and dresses,
And moving small unsightlinesses.
For, oh! 'tis such a lovesome thing,
Just straightening out, and freshening.
And after that I washed a few
Small woolly garments, old, not new,
Things I had rubbed and rinsed before
Quite forty times, or even more.
And as I hung them on the line
I thought what God-like work was mine!
To cleanse--ah, me!--to wash out stains
Till not a single speck remains.
So, later in the day 'twas sweet
o sit and rest my tired feet
Mending the clothes, and plan out, too,
How to make old things into new.
For surely 'tis an angel's way
To put things right from day to day,
To find thin places, and repair
The glad rags and the sturdy wear.
Since wear and tear must surely be
On this side of eternity,
I'm feeling very proud to say
I've done an angle's work today!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing. You write so well and it's always a blessing. I love to write too but I'm afraid most of the time after I get something all written out I chicken out and think how hurt I would be if some one took it wrong or miss read what I was intending to say and I end up deleting it all. Thanks for being brave enough to say what needs to be heard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. awe...thanks Nessa! I totally understand and have many drafts that have not made it out so far....letting people into my private world is hard because they assume and judge or disagree but you know what?! it doesn't matter....I never want to hurt or offend anybody and it is never my intention to do so but we do need to stand up for truth and righteousness and what's a little persecution?! I desire to please the Lord and want to be used and if He can use my very small blog even in some very small way it's all worth it!! :)
    write the truth and you have nothing to worry about!

    love you!

    ReplyDelete