"You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me"

Covetousness, jealousy, envy.....idolatry, these are things that I have been struggling with lately. Not a small burden, not a small amount of sin!

I find that as a young mom it is terribly easy to look at what other moms do well and become dissatisfied with my life or my abilities and ultimately God. Whether it is a creative talent, a cleaner more organized house, better dressed children, more stuff, more time etc, I can tend to get jealous that I am unable to do these things better or have these things.

I did not immediately notice these sins in my heart, but rather they crept in surreptitiously and continued to spread. God has been faithfully exposing and working through these sins in me. I have a long way to go but am so thankful for grace! I need it!

I would very highly recommend reading the following post on the Desiring God website. It's not long but so helpful in highlighting the sin in us and offering practical and biblical suggestions to fight it. You can find it here.

The main thrust of the article is to help you put covetousness to death by looking at others. Sounds very ironic, indeed, but John Piper points us to the apostle Paul's words to the Philippians. "Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us." (3:17). Piper suggests looking at the wise and mature saints in your life as well as the saints of old.

I want to continue doing just this! As I've mentioned previously in my blog, I've been reading through the biography of Elizabeth Prentiss and have been most blessed so far. Julian also just bought me Golden Hours, a collection of her poetry and writings. I'm so excited to read them. When I read about her love for our Saviour, I love our Saviour more and love the things of this world less.

So identify some faithful saints in your life, read some biographies, and fight covetousness! Soli deo Gloria.

Vanity Wordle-ing

I wordled my blog and these are the words that I've used so far in my blog. Actually I didn't wordle my blog because I had no idea before a moment ago what wordle meant. My husband did this and I thought it was fun so I posted it. Now our blogs match!

Seasoned with Grace

Julian and I had the pleasure of having lunch with Katherine Reynolds, assistant to the well-known pastor and author, Josh Harris. I really enjoyed Katherine's company and there was one thing about her company that I particularly appreciated.

Katherine was quick to give thanks, praise and glory to God in all general conversation. Her speech was seasoned with an obvious and genuine love for God. Whether discussing her housing situation or an unexpected event in her life, she was immediate in pointing to the hand of God in it. They were not theologically profound statements, nor were they of sermon length....they were just a word here, or a couple of words there, "Praise God", "God provided", and so on. It was plain to see that these words were just a true reflection of her heart, and it really showed me what, or Who her heart was focused on. God could not be separated from anything in her life. 'For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Matt 12:34b) Her words did not sound contrived or forced.

I noticed this especially because this is what I want my speech to be. I long to have my heart so full of love for my God and his abundant grace, that my mouth cannot help but be opened! I have often feared that saying such things would sound awkward or phony, but this should not deter me in speaking!

I see great value in opening our mouths to give praise to God for a few reasons that I'll discuss briefly below:

1) It will help to develop a heart of true humility.

Katherine attends Covenant Life Church, where I know that practicing and cultivating a heart of humility is something that is frequently addressed. Her speech shows me that she is practicing this very thing indeed. If we are continually cognizant of God's work in our lives and intentional about opening our mouth about it, how then will we not grow in humility? Speaking of God's grace and goodness to us keeps us from boasting of anything in ourselves.

2) It can help to keep us from using our mouths dishonourably.

If we are purposeful in using our tongues to praise God or point to Christ in all things, I would guess that it would become increasingly difficult to use our mouth to curse others.

3) It will help my heart to feel what it should feel.

Often in our lives we don't feel like doing something, but we do it as an act of obedience. As an example, I may not feel like loving or forgiving a sister/brother, but if I intentionally do this, then most likely my heart will follow. So, likewise, if I find that my heart isn't thankful but I am always looking for ways to give thanks to God, then I will find things to be thankful for and inevitably my heart will become thankful.

These are just a few reasons, but of course there are many more, so acknowledge our God with your mouth, Christian! Speak of Christ, for your good and His glory.

Giving Thanks

Well, four years ago today at about this time I was getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry the love of my life! What a day that was and what a four years it has been. We have experienced hard times, abundant joy, overwhelming blessing and most of all grace, grace and more grace.

Through marriage God has been able to show me the sinfulness that still remains in my heart. He has shown me my selfishness, my pride and ultimately my utter need for him and dependence on him. He has been merciful in dealing with me and gracious in providing me with the most amazing, wonderful, patient and loving husband. I couldn't be more blessed.

The other day I was just reflecting on the work that God has done in my heart through my marriage and through my husband. I realized how much I have been shaped through the character and witness of my Julian. His faith, his love for our God, his patience, his wisdom, his knowledge of Scripture have all helped me to grow in grace and to grow in my love for Christ! So this realization also challenged me. If he has such an influence on me then I also have an influence and important role in his life. My growth, my love for the Saviour, my devotion, all affect him! This is so vital to remember Christian because it also means that if I am not growing in grace or if I am not mortifying sin in my life, then this will sway him. My life can build him up, or it can be a hindrance to him.

So ask yourself, is your life causing your spouse to grow, causing them to love God more, causing them to put sin to death? Or is your life a stumbling block to them? Is your life characterized by devotion to God, grace and kind words for others, and a continual dying to yourself to serve your spouse and Christian family? Or is your life characterized by a lack of fellowship with God, a gossip and slanderous tongue, and a heart that seeks to serve itself? How you live will affect those you love! Let us live with this in mind.

For you my Julian: I am so thankful for you. I love you with all of my heart and am seeking to be a better wife to you always. You are God's greatest blessing to me, next to my salvation in Christ. Thank you for being a wonderful, loving, kind, patient and God-fearing husband. Thank you for leading our family and for seeking after God with your whole heart. I love you "way too" much. I pray that our marriage will be a reflection of Christ and his bride. I pray that our marriage will bring him much glory. For the sake of the gospel, I pray all this! I am thanking God for you and for us and for our children.

Lovely Jewellery!

My very talented friend, Rebecca, has opened a shop on Etsy.com to sell some of her handmade jewellery. Check it out, her stuff is amazing and affordable! You can find it here. Below are a few of her items.

By His Grace

Trying, burdensome, exasperating, frustrating....these are all great words to describe some days that we women may experience. Well I was having just one of these days a few weeks ago, but by God's grace he turned it into a joyous one.

Things just weren't going right at home, I can't even remember details anymore but I remember some of my feelings and thoughts! I was feeling unappreciated, unloved, and overwhelmed by the day's trials. I didn't feel that my husband was responding to my wishes appropriately and the kids weren't behaving as I would have planned. Often in these situations my first inclination is to get angry and initially this was my response. However, the Lord provided much grace for me during these moments of anger. My mind recalled some words that I'd just read of Elizabeth Prentiss' mom.

Submissive and somewhat in the background during the life of her husband, she exhibited strength, resourcefulness, and initiative as a widow. Most of all she relied on her God, with whom she communed often in prayer. In the last Bible study Elizabeth gave just before her death, she looked back to these early years: 'Accustom yourself to turn all your wants, cares and trials into prayer', she said. 'If anything troubled or annoyed my mother she went straight to the "spare room", no matter how cold the weather, and we children knew it was to pray. I shall never forget its influence over me.'

I long to be this type of godly witness to my children, to be known as a woman who prays always. So in this particular moment, I sought prayer. I quickly got the children ready and went for a walk. I'm not sure I was really expecting my heart to change, but God was faithful to me.

As I walked and tried to sort out my feelings and pray, I was able to reflect on Christ and the cross. During this, my heart was brought to true repentance and I enjoyed a time of sweet fellowship with my triune God.

All this to say, pray Christian. Pray when you are joyful. Pray when you are discouraged. Pray when you are angry. Pray when you don't want to. Pray when it doesn't feel like God is near. Pray always. Pray continually. Pray without ceasing!

God grant us grace!

Grace for the Fire

I just read this on the Girl Talk blog and found I could identify. Thought I'd pass it along as it really brought me comfort. You can find it here.