Breakfast comes along with family Bible reading time. Then, it’s school time. My name gets called more times than I can count. I break up arguments and serve as the court system if an agreement cannot be reached. I pick up toys. Continue to do laundry. Answer emails for the ministry. Lunch. More school for some people. Chores, Playtime. More courtroom duties with children. Discipline. And the list goes on.
EVERY woman and man I know can make a similar list. Some longer. Some shorter. All have the same 24 hours in a day. Yet, we as believers LONG to make our lives count for the glory of God. We want all glory, honor and power to be directed at Him…for His name to be praised. In the exciting times…the mundane…all of it.
However, as I look at Facebook and blogs from people I know and love, I sense that I am not measuring up. In fact, I am failing in multiple categories. However, where I am now failing seems to be a matter of opinion and is not based on God's Word. Because...
There is a BUT (and this is a BIG BUT) - there has been something brewing in our society that has made its presence well-known via social media. It’s called the Mommy Wars (although I would argue that you could call it the Parent Wars or just People Wars…it applies to ALL of us). The arguments have looked something like this:
Vaccines vs. No Vaccines
Herbs vs. Oils vs. Medicines
Hospitals vs. Home Births
Public School vs. Private School vs. Homeschool
Mommies at Home vs. Mommies Working Outside the Home
Santa vs. No Santa
Nursing vs. Breastfeeding
Mommies vs. Daddies (staying at home to take care of children)
Organic vs. Non Organic
Co-Sleeping vs. Child in a crib
Strollers/Carriers vs. Slings
Cloth Diapers vs. Plastic Diapers
ESV vs. any other version of the Bible
Traditional vs. Contemporary Music
Birth Control vs. No Birth Control
Mega Church vs. Medium Sized Church vs. Small Churches
The list could go on and on and on. And it does.
Even as I type this, I realize that people find themselves passionate about these topics. I am equally fond of some of these! And I GET IT…I do. What I love I want to share with others. If only they knew…if they would just educate themselves on this topic or that one. But, let us be honest with ourselves:
JUST BECAUSE WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN WE HAVE TO GIVE OUR OPINION ON IT.
And this: NONE of these things impact your relationship with Christ (unless you are being disobedient to something He has instructed you to do which certainly disrupts your fellowship with Him). They do not gain us favor in His sight.
So, let us find this: BALANCE! Do we really need to give our opinions to every person on our friend list? Or do we need to post our thoughts on the latest controversy? Do we really need to do that? Does it honor the Lord? Does it draw people to Him?
Let us swing our pendulums to the middle and stop shaming other people into doing life the same way we do. If you send your kids to public school (and most of my friends do), praise God! If your kids attend private school, amen! We homeschool because it is what God has called us to do…nothing more and nothing less. I fully support all of my friends who are obeying what God has told them to do. May we encourage and love one another in such a way that God’s name is lifted high.
Can we just pause the madness? It's not helping other believers. Start praying for and encouraging other people. Meet for coffee. Have a conversation. Find out one another's struggles. Step away from the Like and Share buttons. Stop the shame people. It’s really getting on my nerves.
(This post was written last Monday before I came down with mono. I've had a full week of looking at blogs to discover that this is truly a new trend that is destroying the joy we find in Christ alone. We are turning our opinions into a mockery of the body of Christ.)
3 comments:
True dat, friend. True dat.
Very timely! Love you guys!
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