A sweet blog from Rachel Held Evans blog about some amazing woman around the world. Ms. Evans works with World Vision ministries.
http://rachelheldevans.com/bolivian-women-of-valor?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RachelHeldEvans+%28Rachel+Held+Evans+-+Blog%29
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Still here!
I know it's been forever since this blog has seen a post, but rest assured I have not forgotten! My hands have been a bit full with adjusting to life as a new mom, but I've got a post working in my head late at night that I really feel compelled to share, but it may take me a few more days to get it written up. Thanks for your patience!
<3 Ruth Ann
<3 Ruth Ann
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thoughts on Hospitality
June is going to be a busy, social month for out of town family members and as I’ve been getting the house “tour ready” I’ve had some time to think about hospitality.
What does Southern Hospitality mean to you? For some it conjures up images of fancy, catered garden parties with elaborate preparation and a pristine location. Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and a whole range of private businesses promote this debutante style.
Hospitality is intimidating (and expensive!) when it becomes “entertaining”. The world puts a certain expectation on the quality of your house, décor, and the food served. Any time you open your house, it feels like you are under pressure to perform. For many of us, visitors are not just guests, they are also judges.
For me, Southern Hospitality reminds me of when mom would encourage my friends to stay for dinner. We might be feasting on hot dogs and macaroni, elbow to elbow with each other, but there was a lot of laughter and joy around the table. It reminds me of the times we had Sunday dinner with my grandparents. After riding an hour in the car after church to get to their house, (feeling so hollow I was sure my belly button would get stuck somewhere behind my spine,) we would be greeted not only with hugs and kisses, but with the divine fragrance of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
So, as I stare down the barrel of my June calendar and I stave off the pre-party panic, I’ve been reminding myself of a couple of things.
The point of “entertaining” is to make a statement about who you are and to show off what you have. (Come on…I grew up in the Dallas area…you know that it’s true.) The point of hospitality is to serve your guests and meet their needs. The house doesn’t have to be immaculate; it just needs to be clean enough to make your guests comfortable. (I have had to remind myself of this as I madly scrub the bathroom tub in the off chance that someone will peek past the curtain and find occasion to criticize. My husband provides a welcome dose of reality when I get into this kind of perfectionist cleaning mode.) The food doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive – just tasty and nourishing. You are not offering ‘entertainment’ – you’re offering a service.
Attention should be on your visitors, not things. The point of having company is to enjoy their company! Yes, we may make an effort to cook a particular meal or lay out the nice china, but the point is not to show off what we have, but to show how much we appreciate our guests. Their very presence gives cause to use the utensils reserved for special occasions. We have fellowship that is more than the sum of the meal or environment. The world attempts to fabricate this kind of “togetherness” through material things as if having the ‘right’ outdoor patio, or the ‘right’ meal, or the ‘right’ atmosphere is somehow an equation for camaraderie.
Hospitality should be offered without conditions. It is important to welcome others into our homes, whether or not they will (or are able) to reciprocate. Hospitality is twice blessed when it is given freely without expecting anything in return.
So, as I count down the days until my June company arrives, these are the things I’ll try to focus on. (Though, faced with my mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt-in-law…let’s face it. I think the baseboards will all get wiped down in the process.)
What does Southern Hospitality mean to you? For some it conjures up images of fancy, catered garden parties with elaborate preparation and a pristine location. Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and a whole range of private businesses promote this debutante style.
Hospitality is intimidating (and expensive!) when it becomes “entertaining”. The world puts a certain expectation on the quality of your house, décor, and the food served. Any time you open your house, it feels like you are under pressure to perform. For many of us, visitors are not just guests, they are also judges.
For me, Southern Hospitality reminds me of when mom would encourage my friends to stay for dinner. We might be feasting on hot dogs and macaroni, elbow to elbow with each other, but there was a lot of laughter and joy around the table. It reminds me of the times we had Sunday dinner with my grandparents. After riding an hour in the car after church to get to their house, (feeling so hollow I was sure my belly button would get stuck somewhere behind my spine,) we would be greeted not only with hugs and kisses, but with the divine fragrance of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
So, as I stare down the barrel of my June calendar and I stave off the pre-party panic, I’ve been reminding myself of a couple of things.
The point of “entertaining” is to make a statement about who you are and to show off what you have. (Come on…I grew up in the Dallas area…you know that it’s true.) The point of hospitality is to serve your guests and meet their needs. The house doesn’t have to be immaculate; it just needs to be clean enough to make your guests comfortable. (I have had to remind myself of this as I madly scrub the bathroom tub in the off chance that someone will peek past the curtain and find occasion to criticize. My husband provides a welcome dose of reality when I get into this kind of perfectionist cleaning mode.) The food doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive – just tasty and nourishing. You are not offering ‘entertainment’ – you’re offering a service.
Attention should be on your visitors, not things. The point of having company is to enjoy their company! Yes, we may make an effort to cook a particular meal or lay out the nice china, but the point is not to show off what we have, but to show how much we appreciate our guests. Their very presence gives cause to use the utensils reserved for special occasions. We have fellowship that is more than the sum of the meal or environment. The world attempts to fabricate this kind of “togetherness” through material things as if having the ‘right’ outdoor patio, or the ‘right’ meal, or the ‘right’ atmosphere is somehow an equation for camaraderie.
Hospitality should be offered without conditions. It is important to welcome others into our homes, whether or not they will (or are able) to reciprocate. Hospitality is twice blessed when it is given freely without expecting anything in return.
So, as I count down the days until my June company arrives, these are the things I’ll try to focus on. (Though, faced with my mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt-in-law…let’s face it. I think the baseboards will all get wiped down in the process.)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Lord Peter Wimsy and Life Choices
I had an interesting conversation with Woman of Balance yesterday about our life choices and priorities. A repetitive theme in a modern woman’s life is the dichotomy between choosing a ‘public’ career vs. living a ‘private’ life as a stay at home mom. Our culture values certain careers over others. “Wife and mother” is not as prestigious as “Doctor” or “Lawyer.” Somehow, the one profession has to diminish the other.
It reminds me of the central argument in Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Ms. Vane has been pursued by the inimitable Lord Peter Wimsy for several years and faces a difficult dilemma. Does marriage diminish independence, intelligence, and ambition? At a college reunion she meets an old school friend who was respected as a woman of great insight and scholarship—who married a farmer and no longer has the same edge. “I was once a scholar” she remarks, dispiritedly.
Scholars are those people fired with a thirst for knowledge. Seeking the truth is not just a philosophic exercise – it is the passion that drives all their actions- the prime mover to their stars and other spheres. Even if the truth is damaging, it must be brought to light. In some way, we all have an element of this drive. For some, knowledge and scholarship. Others have a genius for music. Another person might be gifted with communicating. Another for service and entertaining. We all are called to certain ‘jobs’ – activities that give us the deepest satisfaction and to which we give our last gasping breath of loyalty.
Eric Liddle put it this way in Chariots of Fire: “God made me for China…but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
Both my parents are musicians and wonderful teachers, although we soon learned that they could not teach me effectively. Music is their passion. Second best from a daughter would not be tolerated. I remember my Dad telling me to “Do…or do not.” There’s no point in “trying” to play a piece well. You either play it well, or you don’t. And if you don’t, you keep working at it until you can play it well. Looking back, I can recognize and love this passion – I know the difference between playing a Bach prelude half-assed and playing it spot on. (Every note, slur, staccato, and diminuendo has a meaning and taken as a whole can change the entire argument of the piece! Yes…and when you’ve got it right, you feel like angels are singing and you are “God on the seventh day”.)
So…if we all have a job that is so crushingly important…how do you combine it with life’s other roles and responsibilities? What do you do when you are blessed with both a heart and a brain? When you want to love someone and have a family…but it could be ‘detrimental’ to your calling? Is there a way to reconcile it?
If you are a musician, for example, and you desire a career in music and performance…how do you reconcile that with the responsibilities of being a wife and mother? So much of you is being used up—your candle is burning at both ends. How do you choose?
My own career ambitions of being Vice President or Dean something-or-another have somewhat cooled since being thrust into a position of Executive Director several years ago. The tempestuous demands of this job spilled into the quiet pools of my private life and made me feel as if I existed somewhere in the 5th circle of hell.
However, I am happy when I am working around people I can respect and I can contribute toward a good mission. I feel like I am in a position to make a difference while working at a community college. Especially on a personal level. Colleges and Universities are bastions of liberal and irreligious thought. But for every professor who is teaching a mucked up version of truth, beauty, and goodness, there are 10 students searching for answers. Where else could a (somewhat) intellectual Christian be so subversive to popular liberal doctrine? I enjoy teaching and advising…and the old gray matter hasn’t ruled out the possibility of moving up the ranks in the administration or getting a second Masters so that I can teach a subject other than “How to not Suck at College” – otherwise known as “Student Development.” (History, Art History, Music, English…LOGIC! Those would be worth-while subjects… And I could assign readings in C.S. Lewis—ha! Take that…political correctness!)
Um…anyway…moving on from private fantasy…
Sayers’ answer about the balance between desires, priorities, callings, roles, and relationships…is that you really don’t know what is of “overmastering importance until it has overmastered you.” You find something or someone that you can’t let go. You can’t walk away. When you find two such things of extreme import, you make a delicate balance. It’s a difficult tightrope – especially for those who are mothers, students, directors, etc…but you do it. It is the activities that you can drop and be content with second-rate quality that fall by the wayside. You find your job, your calling, your direction by learning what things have power over you.
I faced a similar decision while sitting alone in my apartment the summer after I graduated, and I realized how hollow life felt without Ben. I knew I was free to move away and pursue a high-profile job elsewhere…but it wouldn’t be as satisfying without him. Being with him was more important than landing a high-profile position right out of grad school. I imagine there are many such decisions that we all have to make.
Critics will shout “giving up opportunities!” “Marriage is a trap for aspiring young women!” But in the end, I don’t find my career or any other part of my life diminished. "Regret" marrying my best friend, confidante, hero, and pickle-jar opener? What is there to regret? Marriage has been the single most liberating aspect of my life. What I do find difficult is not judging others for their decisions. (Um…can anyone say “Jo” and “Laurie” from Little Women…why did she run off and marry some old German Enlightenist dude when her fun, best friend wanted to take her to London?...) Because different things have overmastering importance to us.
I don’t know what God has placed on your heart to lead to you make your decisions…but I pray it is something that gives you delight and joy. You feel God’s pleasure when you teach, or sing, or play violin, or make dinner for your husband, or help a student, or look at your children, or feel your baby kicking. We all have a delicate balance…but by God’s grace while walking the tight rope, may you find yourself overwhelmed with the joy of living out God’s plan for your life...may his plan have ultimate mastery in all our lives.
It reminds me of the central argument in Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Ms. Vane has been pursued by the inimitable Lord Peter Wimsy for several years and faces a difficult dilemma. Does marriage diminish independence, intelligence, and ambition? At a college reunion she meets an old school friend who was respected as a woman of great insight and scholarship—who married a farmer and no longer has the same edge. “I was once a scholar” she remarks, dispiritedly.
Scholars are those people fired with a thirst for knowledge. Seeking the truth is not just a philosophic exercise – it is the passion that drives all their actions- the prime mover to their stars and other spheres. Even if the truth is damaging, it must be brought to light. In some way, we all have an element of this drive. For some, knowledge and scholarship. Others have a genius for music. Another person might be gifted with communicating. Another for service and entertaining. We all are called to certain ‘jobs’ – activities that give us the deepest satisfaction and to which we give our last gasping breath of loyalty.
Eric Liddle put it this way in Chariots of Fire: “God made me for China…but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
Both my parents are musicians and wonderful teachers, although we soon learned that they could not teach me effectively. Music is their passion. Second best from a daughter would not be tolerated. I remember my Dad telling me to “Do…or do not.” There’s no point in “trying” to play a piece well. You either play it well, or you don’t. And if you don’t, you keep working at it until you can play it well. Looking back, I can recognize and love this passion – I know the difference between playing a Bach prelude half-assed and playing it spot on. (Every note, slur, staccato, and diminuendo has a meaning and taken as a whole can change the entire argument of the piece! Yes…and when you’ve got it right, you feel like angels are singing and you are “God on the seventh day”.)
So…if we all have a job that is so crushingly important…how do you combine it with life’s other roles and responsibilities? What do you do when you are blessed with both a heart and a brain? When you want to love someone and have a family…but it could be ‘detrimental’ to your calling? Is there a way to reconcile it?
If you are a musician, for example, and you desire a career in music and performance…how do you reconcile that with the responsibilities of being a wife and mother? So much of you is being used up—your candle is burning at both ends. How do you choose?
My own career ambitions of being Vice President or Dean something-or-another have somewhat cooled since being thrust into a position of Executive Director several years ago. The tempestuous demands of this job spilled into the quiet pools of my private life and made me feel as if I existed somewhere in the 5th circle of hell.
However, I am happy when I am working around people I can respect and I can contribute toward a good mission. I feel like I am in a position to make a difference while working at a community college. Especially on a personal level. Colleges and Universities are bastions of liberal and irreligious thought. But for every professor who is teaching a mucked up version of truth, beauty, and goodness, there are 10 students searching for answers. Where else could a (somewhat) intellectual Christian be so subversive to popular liberal doctrine? I enjoy teaching and advising…and the old gray matter hasn’t ruled out the possibility of moving up the ranks in the administration or getting a second Masters so that I can teach a subject other than “How to not Suck at College” – otherwise known as “Student Development.” (History, Art History, Music, English…LOGIC! Those would be worth-while subjects… And I could assign readings in C.S. Lewis—ha! Take that…political correctness!)
Um…anyway…moving on from private fantasy…
Sayers’ answer about the balance between desires, priorities, callings, roles, and relationships…is that you really don’t know what is of “overmastering importance until it has overmastered you.” You find something or someone that you can’t let go. You can’t walk away. When you find two such things of extreme import, you make a delicate balance. It’s a difficult tightrope – especially for those who are mothers, students, directors, etc…but you do it. It is the activities that you can drop and be content with second-rate quality that fall by the wayside. You find your job, your calling, your direction by learning what things have power over you.
I faced a similar decision while sitting alone in my apartment the summer after I graduated, and I realized how hollow life felt without Ben. I knew I was free to move away and pursue a high-profile job elsewhere…but it wouldn’t be as satisfying without him. Being with him was more important than landing a high-profile position right out of grad school. I imagine there are many such decisions that we all have to make.
Critics will shout “giving up opportunities!” “Marriage is a trap for aspiring young women!” But in the end, I don’t find my career or any other part of my life diminished. "Regret" marrying my best friend, confidante, hero, and pickle-jar opener? What is there to regret? Marriage has been the single most liberating aspect of my life. What I do find difficult is not judging others for their decisions. (Um…can anyone say “Jo” and “Laurie” from Little Women…why did she run off and marry some old German Enlightenist dude when her fun, best friend wanted to take her to London?...) Because different things have overmastering importance to us.
I don’t know what God has placed on your heart to lead to you make your decisions…but I pray it is something that gives you delight and joy. You feel God’s pleasure when you teach, or sing, or play violin, or make dinner for your husband, or help a student, or look at your children, or feel your baby kicking. We all have a delicate balance…but by God’s grace while walking the tight rope, may you find yourself overwhelmed with the joy of living out God’s plan for your life...may his plan have ultimate mastery in all our lives.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
10 Weeks To Go!
I've got 10 weeks before my little boy arrives, and it's sent me into a flurry of activity. I don't nearly feel ready, and I'm trying to budget out all the activities I want to get done while leaving myself a little buffer in case he decides to come early. I'm quite clear on the things I want to get done around the house - purge and organize every inch!!!A while ago I registered because my mother-in-law and future sister-in-law are throwing me a shower, and I must say the whole registering experience was a bit overwhelming. As consumers we are barraged by this constant stream of "must haves," but I know so much of it is totally and entirely unnecessary. It was fascinating to see what other mothers were registering for (or not). I am aiming to be savvy and frugal with the things we buy for baby, and I'd like to do things that we can continue to use for future children, which is why the colors I wound up leaning towards were creams and sages and natural things instead of "gender-oriented" colors. I didn't go the route of a crib set since I think they seem like a ripoff, and I'd rather be able to mix and match sheets and blankets, especially so that I have greater flexibility with the items I sew for the nursery. I'm also using remnants, sale, and old scrap fabrics to make my cloth wipes, and some sheets from my old king-sized bed (that is no more) will be turned into crib sheets and changing pad covers.
As I get closer to the end of my pregnancy and more things are falling into place, it had me thinking today that I would love to hear from some moms out there as to what were a few items you felt were absolutely indispensable for the care of your newborn? What were a few things that you thought you'd use but never did? What was something you wish you had purchased?
Friday, April 22, 2011
2 Hot Cross Bun Recipes
Growing up, we always had hot cross buns and scrambled eggs on Good Friday for supper, before going to a Good Friday service. Mom saved some for Easter morning (when we'd eat our colored eggs). I have heard that a lot of hot cross bun recipes are really dry, but not my Mom's! :) My sisters and I used to sell them at a local farmer's market, along with chocolate chip cookies. We called ourselves "Little Women" (because there were four of us girls), and when I really wanted to get a Pleasant Company doll (now American Girl), Mom had me save up for Samantha myself with the Farmer's Market money. Good times. :) Anyway, my husband loves the little women hot cross buns so much that we eat them all year.
The other recipe is from a good friend and amazing cook, Kate Nieuwsma. She made these last year, and although I haven't had them yet, I have heard from many people that they are to DIE for. So we got together this week and baked up a big batch. I have been waiting all year to try them - looking forward to dinner tonight!
LITTLE WOMEN HOT CROSS BUNS
for bread machine (these can be done by hand as well, of course)
Add these ingredients, in the order given, to your bread machine pan:
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup veg. oil
3 eggs (separate one egg; use yolk, save white for frosting)
4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbls. yeast
Put in bread machine and set on dough cycle. Add 2/3 cups currants at beep (or raisins – or throw in apple pieces and nuts, too). Shape into buns and cut a shallow X in the top of each bun. Let rise 40 minutes. Bake at 375* for 12-15 minutes. Let cool. Then frost in the cross with frosting or pipe icing.
Frosting: 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg white (saved from dough)
1/4 tsp vanilla
HOT CROSS BUNS
(My Grandma typed this up, and I added in my own comments as well.)
Kate Nieuwsma made delicious Hot Cross Buns for Easter Sunday breakfast, April 2010. She said that she usually makes them for her church congregation back home in Texas. Here's her recipe. It makes 2 1/2 to 3 9x13 pans full of buns. (You can also bake them on cookie sheets if you want to separate them into separate batches, etc.) You'll probably want to cut the recipe by halves or quarters unless you are making them for a lot of people or want to freeze some for another meal.
In a medium sauce pan, combine:
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups milk (soy milk may be substituted)
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
Mix until there are no more lumps.
Cut up 1/2 cup (1 cube) of butter or margarine into the mixture, then turn the heat on medium high.
Stir until it comes to a boil. boil until thick like pudding.
Let cool about 30 minutes. Make sure it is still slightly warm, though.
Meanwhile, proof 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast in 1 cup warm water with a sprinkle of sugar.
When the cornmeal mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add 3 eggs and beat well.
Pour yeast mixture and cornmeal mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add enough flour to make a soft dough (about 6 to 8 cups) and mix with a large spoon until mixture pulls together. Turn out onto a heavily floured board. Knead for 2 minutes, adding more flour as necessary. (I sprinkle the kneading flour with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.)
Add 3/4 cup of currants or raisins that have been soaked in the juice of
1 orange. Add the orange zest if you want. Add enough more flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board. Knead 2 more minutes.
Return dough to greased bowl and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
Divide dough into golf ball sized rolls, and place in greased 9"x13" pans.
Cut crosses in the top with kitchen shears, razor, or very sharp knife.
Let rise for 35-40 more minutes. Brush with mixture of egg yolk and water.
Bake at 425 degrees F. for 20 minutes, brushing halfway through with the
egg yolk mixture. Remove from oven and let cool.
FROSTING:
Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine
Add 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar and mix until smooth.
Add the juice of 1 orange. Add more powdered sugar to make a thin frosting. Mix until smooth.
Pipe the frosting onto the crosses in the top of the buns. Serve warm. Enjoy!
MAKE-AHEAD NOTE: If the buns are made ahead of time, do not frost until after they are warmed. The dough can be made the night before and shaped into rolls, covered, and kept in the refrigerator until the next morning (they will rise slowly overnight and then you can bake them). Or you can make them in advance and freeze them; if you want to eat them in the morning, put them in the fridge the night before to thaw (or, if you’re having them for dinner, you can even just get them out at noon and let them thaw on the counter). Warm up in a covered pan at 350* and then frost.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Thoughts on Excellence
Excellent. Distinct. Noble. Superior.
These words put a glint in my eye. I want to be an excellent woman. I want to be a noble wife. I want to be a distinguished daughter of the King.
Today, I found myself feeling very superior to a couple of fellows in my weight training class who spent the entire time trying to slack off. They rested for several seconds between repetitions and constantly glanced at the coach to see if he noticed that they weren’t working. Not me. I’m an ambitious weight-training Amazon who would bench press 200lbs if my body permitted. (I like to think that I bench-press that much in spirit with the amount of zeal it takes me to lift my measly 75-80lbs.) I left class feeling smug and pondering about the drive that makes me want to excel. I vaguely connect it to the charge in Colossians 3:23:
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Growing up, I was taught to work hard because God is watching and working hard glorifies Him. (The historic “Protestant work-ethic”, if you will…) As Christians, the way we work is unique and sets us apart from the world.
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. -Philippians 2:14-16
How often do you come into work only to hear the grumbles from your coworkers? Every little inconvenience, every unkind thought is accentuated and rankles like a thorn scratching through a garment. “Oh…I so don’t want to be here…I can't believe that she...” “Why do they make us do it this way?” “This is so pointless…”
Working hard, without complaining or second-guessing God’s good plan is what makes us shine. As CEOs (and janitors!) it’s not just that we DO the work of our households…it’s that we do it joyfully, knowing that God has given it to us. Yes, even menial jobs like laundry and dishes should elicit thankful hearts.
(I say “should” because I see the thanksgiving in theory: “ie: God has given me clothes and even a washer and a dryer for my convenience…I live in an age and country where I don’t have to put my hands in a boiling pot of lye to have clean, pest-free garments…” but, I don’t always feel a deep sense of thanksgiving at the prospect of tackling my never-ending pile of laundry.)
Okay. But laundry aside…what I wanted to say is that I missed the most important part of these passages in my self-satisfied muse this morning. I was rereading them this evening and discovered that all of these images of greatness and excellence of shining like stars and having the rewards of being God’s children are surrounded with commands to be humble.
So...we're supposed to be great. But humble about our greatness. As my husband would say: "Buhwaa?"
Philippians 2 begins with an exhortation to put on the humility of Christ as we interact with each other.
So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…
Wow. Thanks Paul. That’s an ego buster for Ms. MuddledMuse right there. If I really want to excel for Christ and not for myself, I have to get rid of my personal, competitive measuring sticks. Working for the Lord means looking to Him for approval – not looking to the side to see how you think you measure up.
It reminds me of The Horse and His Boy when Aslan reminds both Shasta and Aravis that they are not told the stories of others – they only need to concern themselves with their personal response and relationship to Aslan. Or, alternatively, when Christ silences Peter when he questions the fate of John (John 21:20-22): “What is that to you? You must follow me.”
Today, I felt smug because I was comparing myself to the other students I thought were slacking off. But what is that to me? I am called to glorify God by working cheerfully without comparing my efforts to others. I don’t know their stories or their hearts. But God does, and that should be enough. (Alternately, what do I care about how often someone else gets their laundry done…or how clean their kitchen is…? If the state of my kitchen and pile of laundry is glorifying God…then that is enough. BTW…now that I think of it…neither are particularly glorifying right now! Eeeek.)
Comparisons inevitably lead to rivalry which disrupts peace and charity. Pride is the antithesis of Love which is the foundation for the fruits of the spirit.
Colossians 3:12-15 shows how the spirit enables us to have cheerful and willing attitudes to do the work of the Lord, for the Lord.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Charity covers so much—when we are working our hardest to glorify God without comparing ourselves to others, we can sympathize and help each other so much more. I know my pile(s) of dishes and laundry don’t measure up– how can I judge your pile(s)? I don't know what He has put on your plate this week...or what other work he might be calling you to. The knowledge that we are imperfect, and yet loved by a perfect Lord, leads to acceptance and strength—not apathy. That’s the mystery of being excellent and yet humble. Noble, yet meek.
These words put a glint in my eye. I want to be an excellent woman. I want to be a noble wife. I want to be a distinguished daughter of the King.
Today, I found myself feeling very superior to a couple of fellows in my weight training class who spent the entire time trying to slack off. They rested for several seconds between repetitions and constantly glanced at the coach to see if he noticed that they weren’t working. Not me. I’m an ambitious weight-training Amazon who would bench press 200lbs if my body permitted. (I like to think that I bench-press that much in spirit with the amount of zeal it takes me to lift my measly 75-80lbs.) I left class feeling smug and pondering about the drive that makes me want to excel. I vaguely connect it to the charge in Colossians 3:23:
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Growing up, I was taught to work hard because God is watching and working hard glorifies Him. (The historic “Protestant work-ethic”, if you will…) As Christians, the way we work is unique and sets us apart from the world.
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. -Philippians 2:14-16
How often do you come into work only to hear the grumbles from your coworkers? Every little inconvenience, every unkind thought is accentuated and rankles like a thorn scratching through a garment. “Oh…I so don’t want to be here…I can't believe that she...” “Why do they make us do it this way?” “This is so pointless…”
Working hard, without complaining or second-guessing God’s good plan is what makes us shine. As CEOs (and janitors!) it’s not just that we DO the work of our households…it’s that we do it joyfully, knowing that God has given it to us. Yes, even menial jobs like laundry and dishes should elicit thankful hearts.
(I say “should” because I see the thanksgiving in theory: “ie: God has given me clothes and even a washer and a dryer for my convenience…I live in an age and country where I don’t have to put my hands in a boiling pot of lye to have clean, pest-free garments…” but, I don’t always feel a deep sense of thanksgiving at the prospect of tackling my never-ending pile of laundry.)
Okay. But laundry aside…what I wanted to say is that I missed the most important part of these passages in my self-satisfied muse this morning. I was rereading them this evening and discovered that all of these images of greatness and excellence of shining like stars and having the rewards of being God’s children are surrounded with commands to be humble.
So...we're supposed to be great. But humble about our greatness. As my husband would say: "Buhwaa?"
Philippians 2 begins with an exhortation to put on the humility of Christ as we interact with each other.
So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…
Wow. Thanks Paul. That’s an ego buster for Ms. MuddledMuse right there. If I really want to excel for Christ and not for myself, I have to get rid of my personal, competitive measuring sticks. Working for the Lord means looking to Him for approval – not looking to the side to see how you think you measure up.
It reminds me of The Horse and His Boy when Aslan reminds both Shasta and Aravis that they are not told the stories of others – they only need to concern themselves with their personal response and relationship to Aslan. Or, alternatively, when Christ silences Peter when he questions the fate of John (John 21:20-22): “What is that to you? You must follow me.”
Today, I felt smug because I was comparing myself to the other students I thought were slacking off. But what is that to me? I am called to glorify God by working cheerfully without comparing my efforts to others. I don’t know their stories or their hearts. But God does, and that should be enough. (Alternately, what do I care about how often someone else gets their laundry done…or how clean their kitchen is…? If the state of my kitchen and pile of laundry is glorifying God…then that is enough. BTW…now that I think of it…neither are particularly glorifying right now! Eeeek.)
Comparisons inevitably lead to rivalry which disrupts peace and charity. Pride is the antithesis of Love which is the foundation for the fruits of the spirit.
Colossians 3:12-15 shows how the spirit enables us to have cheerful and willing attitudes to do the work of the Lord, for the Lord.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Charity covers so much—when we are working our hardest to glorify God without comparing ourselves to others, we can sympathize and help each other so much more. I know my pile(s) of dishes and laundry don’t measure up– how can I judge your pile(s)? I don't know what He has put on your plate this week...or what other work he might be calling you to. The knowledge that we are imperfect, and yet loved by a perfect Lord, leads to acceptance and strength—not apathy. That’s the mystery of being excellent and yet humble. Noble, yet meek.
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