stay-at-home moms | Stray Thoughts

A variety of good reads found this week:

When God Used a Stutterer, HT to Challies. “Must limitations and weaknesses keep us from effective ministry? And how should we think about others in the church who have glaring, limiting imperfections?” This is a neat story.

If I Have Matching Dishes, But Have not Love . . . HT to Challies. “If I have matching dishes but have not love, my kitchen cupboard becomes a higher priority to me than the most important person to me in this life.”

People Over Perfection: 5 Tips to Help You When Tiny Distractions Take Over. “Have you ever found yourself in a friend’s living room when you suddenly noticed a picture on the wall that was crooked? Did it occupy your attention for too long, leaving you unsettled and distracted until you walked over and straightened it?”

You’re Beautiful, HT to Challies. “In this month’s letter, I share my personal journey with female beauty standards—a topic that’s been on my mind ever since my daughter was born. I share what life was like growing up with contradicting beauty standards, and how they shaped my insecurities as an Asian Australian woman. I then explore how my new faith, motherhood, and entering my late 30’s has redefined my perspectives on outward beauty.”

Why Christian Men Need Friendship, Not Just “Accountability,” HT to Challies. Yes, yes yes! I’ve always felt there was something off, even artificial, about “accountability partners,” and this helps explain why.

The 10%, HT to Challies.”What does that say about us as a society? We, with the requisite number of chromosomes, determine your fate before we even meet you, before we experience one of your open-hearted hugs or witness your exuberant spirit. How far have we fallen, that we will only welcome you if your test results declare you worthy of our care?”

Why Are There Four Gospels? A great illustration helps answer this question.

You Can’t Do It Alone. “Productivity is not the solution to all of your problems. That’s the promise of secular productivity, isn’t it? Peace, order, simplicity, abundance—the life you want—is just on the other side of one simple system/technique/app/framework.”

The Theology of Work and the Stay-at-Home Mom: Embracing the Value of Our Calling, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “It’s easy to feel like our work doesn’t “count” because we’re not bringing home a paycheck. We don’t get the flashy title that comes with being a high-powered professional, and sometimes, it feels like society only values work that earns money. But if we believe, as Christian moms, that God has called us to this specific work, does the absence of financial gain truly define our calling’s worth?”

God Is Writing Your Story: You Need to Tell It. “God has given each one of us a story. It may not be as dramatic as Corrie ten Boom’s or as screen-worthy as Louis Zamperini’s, but each and every one can be used by God to connect with someone and to ultimately point them to Jesus. And we’re not supposed to keep these stories to ourselves.”

The LORD may not give gold, but He will give grace: He may not give gain, but He will give grace. He will certainly send us trial, but He will give grace in proportion thereto. We may be called to labor and to suffer, but with the call there will come all the grace required.
— Charles Spurgeon

This has been another light reading week, at least for online posts. But here are a few that stood out to me. A couple are related to Christmas, but still useful.

Christmas and the Reliability of God’s Words. “Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he reads, even when it’s a passage he has seen many times before. As I was rereading (for the fifth or sixth time this Christmas season) Luke’s nativity narrative, I was surprised by a repeated emphasis on the utter certainty of God’s words.”

The Weary World Rejoices, HT to Challies. “With the increase of mind-numbing songs that passed for Christmas music, I noticed a few years ago a hunger in me for a melodic reminder of what Christmas was all about (cue the stage lights for Charlie Brown and Linus). Like pink aluminum Christmas trees, contemporary Christmas songs seemed so far from celebrating the birth of our Savior! I began to listen more closely to versions of traditional carols played during the Christmas season, paying attention to the words rather than just humming along with the familiar melodies.”

32 Random Thoughts About Church.

Just a Stay-at-Home Mom, HT to Challies. “Whenever I’m around professionals, I feel shame prickle my neck and cheeks. As they tell me about their journey from college to working their way to this position they’re currently in, I cringe when the silence comes—because we all know the next question.”

Drawing Near: Loving Your Adult Children and Grandchildren, HT to Challies. “When children move from reliance on their parents toward the independence of adulthood, it can be disorienting. Initially, parents set the guidelines for behavior and schedules in the home, but adult children grow toward autonomy by moving out, pursuing careers, and establishing households — households with a culture of their own. These shifts can be accompanied by strong opinions and feelings.”

Finding Grace in Infertility and Loss, HT to Challies. “Goodness knows I’ve sat in the abyss for hours, days, months, wondering where all the light went or if it ever existed at all. The happy bow at the end of the story doesn’t erase the tormented nights, the weeping until no tears are left, the engulfing losses. The Christian life is far more mysterious than we are comfortable with.”

Many people start the new year planning to read the Bible more regularly. A couple of previous posts here might be helpful to you: Planning to Read the Bible More this Year lists several reading plans, and Making Time to Read the Bible shares tips.