Where's My White Horse?

I haven't done too well keeping up with my New Year's Resolution of blogging every day, but what can I say? The last few weeks have been a lot about sickness, ear infections and doctor's visits. Abby had another bad bout with her ears and Monday she had tubes put in. It has made such a big difference already.

Mike's been pretty busy these last few weeks. Conferences, retreats, and lot of crises have kept him away from the house a lot. And everyone loves him and misses him and is thrilled when he comes riding home on his white horse to save the day! Now, I'd like to ride in on a white horse and have everyone be happy to see me but that would necesitate me LEAVING! So everyone ignores the fact that I am the one here making lunches, doing laundry, making and going to doctor's appointments, giving medicine that is yucky and dealing with the unpleasant side effects, having the kids' friends over, getting them to scouts and gymnastics. And they wonder why I seem crabby?

When Mike returned from his conference he brought me a book called "Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God" by Noel Piper. I wasn't really that thrilled about a book full of old biographies. The first chapter was about Sarah Edwards who was the wife of Jonathon Edwards, a pastor and great writer and thinker. The subtitle of the chapter was "Faithful in the Mundane". I thought I better read that one - and it was so good and challenging. Sarah Edwards had 11 children in the 1700's, she oversaw everything in the home including the livestock and butchering. She made all their clothes from shearing the sheep to weaving ( I must say that my family would probably be naked if I had to do that). She did everything so that her husband would be freed up to study and write. His writings are still read and valued today. She served God by handling all the mundane household things. She was very well educated and beautiful and probably felt that she had more to offer the world.

It has made me think a lot about how I look at my role. I tend to hate how tied down it has me. I want more glory, I feel like I am better than this. But I think through the story of Sarah Edwards I can see that God wants me to be faithful to taking care of things here so that Mike can be the man God wants him to be. It is easy to want to make Mike into my servant, but I need to focus on being God's servant.

Last week at church was a confirmation of all this. Mike and I had a great prayer time together on Saturday and we were both excited about what God was showing us. Let me tell you, he was on fire Sunday morning (we did NOT get out of church on time) and he was so passionate about everything he was doing and saying. I was proud to be his wife and watch God use him in his role as Pastor. We have a young man in our church leaving for Iraq this weekend. Mike gathered our church family around him and to pray for him. I saw Mike holding back tears as he announced one of our elderly saints had gone home to be with the Lord that morning and praying with passion for those with overwhelming physical and emotional needs.

I hope that I do not let all the mundane things that need to be taken care of in our household stand in the way of that! Could I be doing greater things, riding around on my white horse? I don't think so.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your Spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.