Fight against the flesh
On this lovely morning, I have just finished a yummy breakfast accompanied by a very delicious cup of coffee. I can hear the babies outside playing, the sound of a saw cutting wood, and the birds singing outside. The sun is shining bright. My son is at school taking a "test" (he is only in preschool). My husband is buying more wood for a project here, and my sweet baby girl is sleeping soundly in her bed. My own heart is full and yet I feel very near tears. Mostly because I just feel so blessed.
I must admit though that the last few days I have been really struggling with the acceptance of my body post baby. I know this sounds incredibly superficial, but lets be realistic. I am sure most women out there that have had children have passed through moments of just wishing for a body they once had...or maybe they never had it and always struggled with insecurities and those insecurities became even larger post baby. Whatever the case, I am sure others out there can understand where I am coming from. Yesterday though, I came across these pictures as I was cleaning out my desk. It was a cd of pictures and when I opened it up to see which ones they were, I found them...they are from 2005.
I am kind of getting off on a soapbox now...but the point is this. Are we living a life of thankfulness? There is always more we could have or more that we want but are we thankful for the here and now? Also, do we spend as much time focusing on our relationship with the Lord as we do focusing on looking well or having all that we want? For those of you that are Mamas and Wives out there like me, are you being the kind of wife and mother that at end of our lives or when Jesus comes back whichever comes first, your husband can be so thankful for the kind of wife he had and that your children can say that their mother was the absolute best one out there. I saw this episode recently of Little House on the Prairie. It was from the first season, and in it, Laura has to give an essay at school. To make a long story short, it is an essay about her Ma. Oh how it made me cry! I long for my children to be able to say such loving and kind words about their Mama.
"Oh Lord may we focus on You. May our eyes and hearts be whole-heartedly fixed solely on You and may we be filled up with the desire to bring you glory and honor always. May we be wives, husbands, mother, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, and friends that bring you so much pleasure and joy because we are radiating your love. May we be like Moses when he came down from the mountain. May all that look to us see a glow because we are daily encountering the one and only living God. Thank you for your blessings and gifts. May we always be living lives of thanksgiving before You. Thank you for my sweet, sweet family...my godly husband and my beautiful children. You have been so good to me and I praise Your Name!"