Gospel Reading today John 15:9-17
"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
This is my all time favorite verse regarding marriage and motherhood. Life is all about love. For God is love. When a man/woman lays down her life (dies to self, which is pride, arroganance, self desires) for her family, she is performing the greatest act of Love. How beautiful is this? We are told over and over in scripture to have a servants heart, just as Jesus did here on earth. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. What more do we need to know about living this life on earth? It is quite simple to me.
I continue to be concerned and disgusted with our society. In a world that is considered "more educated" than ever, we are pretty ignorant if you ask me. Our society is consumed with pride, arrogance and selfishness. We continue to lose sight of the core values of the human race and what we were taught to believe. We have turned simplicty into mass chaos. Marriages are being torn apart because we are told to be served,not to serve. The heart of the home is being broken in half because we are told not to have a servant's heart....that is below us and considered worthless. That we women need to be served with house cleaners, nannies, spa treatments, a large spending account, a yard maintenance crew, restaurants, and the list goes on. All of this CAN be a detriment to our society. I am guilty on some of these, but thankfully God continues to open my eyes to this mess. (I do have a lady help me clean my home once a month, but I am right along with her cleaning out closets, wiping cabinets, etc.)
Before I go into the way my husband and I are, I want you to know everyone lives life differently and I am by no means saying that this is the only way to live and be. These are just examples of how good it feels to try serving each other and our families. My heart has been on the other side of the fence when I was younger, and believe me this side it MUCH better.
I watched my husband drive off early this morning to the bakery, in which he will work thirty some hours in just two short days. It takes him a week to catch up on his sleep. People think he is crazy for working like he does, but he reminds me of my family on the farm. Working long hours to make a living and build a legacy. He says his prayers while rolling out a thousand croissants and offers a prayer as he fixes yet another piece of broken equipment. He works selflessly for his family because he loves us so much. Yesterday, I mowed the lawn with three little ones running around, dirt flying, constant sneezes, and itchy noses, but at the same time, it was liberating for me. As women were driving by in their fancy cars talking on their cell phones, there I was, a humble servant mowing our lawn to serve my family and take a small load off my husband this weekend. I actually LOVED it! I can dress up and wine & dine with the best of them, but that doesn't stop me from digging down deep inside my core being and being a tough pioneer woman. I think about the women who have gone before me and what all they did to survive the dust bowl days on the farm. Heck, my Grandma Fanny dressed as if she had just stepped off fifth avenue, but during her mundane days on the farm she cut chickens heads off to cook that night for her family! (and we think we have it tough?) This helps me come back to the heart of our faith and our purpose on earth....to serve one another and that we are nottoo good for anything! Nobody has humility anymore.
The lack of humble servants hearts in our society, I believe, is the lack of hard times. By giving our lives for our families and not believing that we are too good to scrub the tub, sweep the floors and cook old fashion dinners for our families, will only sweeten our lives and make our families blossom. We lay down our lives for our families giving birth, taking care of the home, giving sippy cups of water, tying shoes, changing diapers, digging in the garden, cleaning out the garage, running red finger nail polish over our chipped toenails before a date. Ahh, the unglamorous duties of motherhood! Tune out this ignorant world, and listen deep down to the heart of your soul. There you will hear the whispers of the tough pioneer women who have gone before us telling us to keep a goin', and their you will hear God's voice so proud of you and pleased with your servants heart.
Keep on laying down your life girls, and someday we will have amazing rewards! Blessings to you this Friday!
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