a few years ago, our MOPS theme was "Fresh Fruit" and focused on the fruit of the Spirit. it was my first year in MOPS and the publicity person was a good friend and i offered to write something if she ever needed. i was able to do a couple of articles for her. she worked with me to refine it a bit--something i miss, i want feedback so that i can ensure what i want to come through is indeed getting across. thanks for your help, renee! (i see things now i wish i could change, but i will resist the urge to change things here...i want to have a record of previous writing, so i'll work to collect it all here.)
Peace
as it appeared in The Grapevine on November 19, 2004
Peace is not the absence of concern, but in knowing whom to trust in the midst of that concern.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was anxious about so many details. Did I have enough folic acid? Am I being careful with what I do and what I eat? Typical stuff, I think. During my birthing class, the instructor pointed out that the delivery would likely be a better experience if I could be in a state of peace rather than of fear.
I Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
She suggested we memorize some scripture and focus on God's word during the laboring process. Well, it didn't exactly work out that way, but it was good to meditate on I Timothy 1:7 and Philippians 4:6-7 during the late stages of pregnancy when my anxiety was building.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I had a great peace that God would equip me through the delivery and for mothering as well. It really was and is a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Even now, the Philippians passage helps keeps my anxiety from overwhelming me. If you know me, you know I'm a details person. The flip side is that I can really drown in the "what ifs" of life. Do you play the "what if" game? I do. I can easily imagine the nth degree repercussion of a decision. Like, what if I decide to homeschool my child and she doesn't learn to interact with non-Christian children and one day when she's out without me she meets a predatory person that she is ill-equipped to handle and gets involved in something she can't recognize as "wrong"--as if my decision to homeschool my child will ultimately lead to her joining a cult. Clearly, this is ridiculous, but my mind can and does work this way.
I know that as a parent I have been entrusted with raising and training my children to the best of my ability. Of course, I want to make all the right choices, but it is unrealistic to expect perfection. I pray for wisdom from God to make the best decisions I can. Recently though, I had an epiphany. The first and foremost prayer I need to make on behalf of my children is that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Of course, I have been praying this already, but this time it was in the context of how I affect them, how others influence them, how life's circumstances will form their lives. If they KNOW God, then I can rest in God's promises to His children (Romans 8:28, 31b)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose... If God is for us, who can be against us?
Just as I rest that whatever life throws at me is under the supervision of the God of the universe who loves me, I can find rest that whatever my children will experience is also under God's control. I can concentrate on showing my children how God loves them and wants to know them and be known by them. Now I'm working on Philippians 6:8-9.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
I pray they and I will have peace, but more importantly I pray that my children will have the God of peace.
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