Monday, September 08, 2008

Being, Not Seeming


Mother Helps Her Daughter Stir the Pudding by Maynard Brown
Mother Helps Her Daughter Stir the Pudding
by Maynard Brown

True worth is in being, not seeming;
In doing each day that goes by
Some little good; not in the dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in their blindness,
And in spite of the fancies of youth,
There's nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.

~ True Worth by Alice Cary


Thank you all so much for your comments on the post about submission. Some of you shared a bit about your journey as a Godly wife, and I thank you for that. Each one of you is a blessing to me.

My days of late have been quite full of living that life of wife and mother. We have had some serious matters that are requiring a pouring out of our hearts in prayer; we have had joyful things that have made us laugh in delight. Hubby has been loved and encouraged, and the children have been hugged and listened to. I have baked bread, bread and more bread ... by myself and with little helpers making miniature loaves. We have fried donuts (yum!), rolled cinnamon buns, frosted cakes, baked cookies and devoured all of it! With my gals' help, we have washed and folded daily loads of laundry, ran at least two loads of dishes a day, and cooked three meals a day. Furniture has been dusted ... or not! ... and carpets have been vacuumed.

Noah has landed, the people have babbled, promises were made, birthrights stolen, and 96-year-old Jacob has returned with his lovely brides to the land of Canaan. Place value has been studied at a first, fourth and seventh grade level. History from around the world and these United States has been pondered. The Ingall's have made their way to the prairie, a home has been built and a well dug. Barbar is still losing his crown, and Harold will continue to draw on the walls with his purple crayon. Five weeks have been completed in the blink of an eye! Where does the time go?

Praying everyone finds the blessing of fulfillment as each of us tackle the tasks God has placed near to our own hand. He has something for us to do every day. He created us in Christ Jesus to do good works. Isn't it wonderful that we don't have to wait to discover God's ministry for us? It's right at our fingertips, and it's called our family.

For we are his (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey,
I was wondering where you were.
Yes, we are to minister to our families, but also to those we come
in contact with at church in the store, etc. Alot of times God has
placed someone in my path or on my heart to pray for or talk to. I feel He wants us to get out of our
comfort zones and care for His people, and for the lost people.
I went out on visitation with the church about a month ago, Ben went with the youth, I went with a lady
from church we had a wonderful time visiting with an elderly lady
that could no longer come to church, she was waiting to have heart surgery. She was so appreciative of our coming to see her and her daughter who was living with her. I am so glad we went to see her, because last week
she died during surgery. If we had not gone to visit her we
would not have that memory of the
stories she told, and the love that
she had for the Lord and people. Lots of hugs and love
Jen

Melissa said...

I love your current events paragraph - it makes me smile to read about it all in a jumble from Noah's landing to Babar and Harold.

I also love the strong thread of nurturing that runs through the entire post.

Melissa said...

I thought I left a comment.?

Tracy said...

What a lovely poem and post. Our school has flown by, too. I'm wondering where the time goes, especially with this being Mac's senior year.

Mimi said...

listening to the daily joys and workings of your family life make me long to be there with you...
praying for you as you make your short trip this week....
Love,
Mimi

Anonymous said...

What a joy to know that your family is enjoying another year of learning at home.

Prayer is a wonderful way to communicate to Our God...without it, well, I'll be totally lost.

Thank you for sharing your thoughs.

mari

Maxine said...

This post brought a smile while reading it. It sounds as if you have been doing much required of the Lord. And the poem was perfect.

Anonymous said...

Lovely to read about the rhythms of your life.

I've been reading Ephesians too.

Hugs

Sarah x

Paula said...

Praise the Lord for the ability we have to love and bless our families. :)

Abounding Treasures said...

Jodi,

A wonderful update of the past several weeks!

I loved the phrase "Isn't it wonderful that we don't have to wait to discover God's ministry for us? It's right at our fingertips, and it's called our family."

In addition to this, I've been learning that in this period of my life with my children now grown, the Lord is leading me more to visitation and help with believers and some unbelievers who need visits, a sympathetic ear and drives here and there :o)

Blessings to you and your dear ones,
Dallas

Anonymous said...

So good to have an update---I've been wondering how you and your family were doing.

And I like how Sarah described it...I, too, enjoyed reading about the rhythms of your life. (o:

Many Blessings,
~Michele

Unknown said...

Its always such a blessing to visit your blog.

I love the way you recapped your schooling in that one paragraph!

Mishel said...

Sounds like you are busy loving, living and ministering to your precious family. What a blessing!

As this is our last year of homeschooling, I'm ever-mindful that our family life will be different this time next year...and with that, there is a desire to make sure these days that the Lord has given, are being spent in the most fruitful way. And this post was a reminder of that...thank you for sharing.

Blessings to you! : )

Unknown said...

Hey Jodi, just checking in on you! Blessings my friend!