I hope you didn't take our talk, last night...

as dissing motherhood?

I love getting to talk to you as a grown woman. You have a way of challenging my thinking and getting me to say things I probably would never say to anyone else. That is the joy of mother daughter discussions. I was 25 starting out as a mother. I am grateful for a wonderful church home and great husband to assist this endeavor. It still was the hardest thing I have ever done.
My sister Amy helped me to see that when you have alot of children, people think you think it is easy. They minimize what you say, if they have had a hard time, in some cases. It is not easy, in the best cases. It is difficult and takes a committed relationship and Christ's intervention at all stages, to give strength and guidance. We had some of the best!
We had some of the best preaching and instruction. We had some of the best fellowship with people of the same ambitions. We had some of the best discussions with each other about what we wanted and we still fell short.
Aging is about looking back and seeing where the resources were spent wisely and unwisely. Issues of women and men's roles and child rearing guidance was the greatest treasure anyone can ever have. We say to ourselves, where did we spend it?

For, I suffer a woman not to preach, nor to usurp authority...

Embracing the power of the womanly dominion of the spiritual warfare is a mighty thing, daughter. Don't you see how very tempting it is to snatch the scepter of authority in the church and the home from father and husband and preachers and pastors and take them unto ourselves as though they belong to us. Oh, how we moan that we weren't called to lead in such ways!

Motherhood, sisterhood and wifing are such strong responsibilities that God has called us to undertake, that He had to undergird our calling with strong prohibitions to taking up other "callings". You are called for a purpose to glorify God in your body. A woman's body, a sensitive and spiritual body for God's glory. Working and clearing and cleaning and praying and fighting the spiritual warfare, for the glory of God! We knead the words and precepts of God, deep into the souls of our near and dear and pray for the increase and like the ground we, either are fruitful in our dealings or fallow. God help us be fruitful for Christ's sake! Amen.!

Christmas 08