Refocus

I am finally able to sit down and write out what I thought of the conference I went to last week.  I know you all have been eagerly (not anxiously - Mom ;-) ) awaiting this post, so here it is!

Other than getting sick, I truly enjoyed the conference.  I really was not sure what to expect.  I have read several of Elizabeth's books and have always enjoyed them and learned from them.  But I did not know what she would be like in person.  I wasn't sure if she would be timid and soft spoken, or loud and intimidating - like certain women preachers of our time (you know who I'm talking about!).  Anyway, I was quite interested to see not only what she was going to say, but how she would say it.

Well, let me tell you that I really enjoyed listening to her!  I think the main reason I enjoyed it is because she is a very down-to-earth individual and was so easy to listen to.  You almost felt as if it was just a small group of ladies talking, rather than her speaking to over 400 women!  One thing that cracked me up is that she seemed a little "scatterbrained" (I use that only for lack of a better word).  I mean, she would be talking about something, then seemed to get a little sidetracked, and maybe say something that seemed a little random, but would always bring it back to her main point.  I like that because I am a bit random, as my husband and sister are always telling me, so I followed her just fine! 

She started off with sharing her testimony.  She was not saved until she was 28.  She was married with two young daughters and was going to school to learn to be a marriage and family counselor.  She told us how she came to know the Lord through reading a book that someone had given her husband (I can't remember which one it is right now) and she has never looked back since.

Once saved (Jim, her husband, was already a Christian), she "dove into the Word."  She said she bought a Bible, and two highlighters - yellow and pink.  She decided that she was going to read through the Bible, and mark all the verses that had to do with God, His Person, His work, His promises, etc. in yellow, and all the verses that pertained to being a godly woman, wife and mother in pink.  She laughed at herself then, saying that she quickly ran her highlighters dry! :-)

So, after that, she began to work on areas of her life, such as prayer, her tongue, her marriage, her parenting, etc.  Her main priority then was her family.  She worked to become the "Woman After God's Own Heart." (By the way, she said that all those pink highlighted marks in her Bible eventually became her pink book, A Woman After God's Own Heart.)

She did not begin to write her books until after her daughters were grown and married.  Then she started her writing career.  She said that she told her publishers right away that every book she wrote, she wanted the word "God" in it because she had lived 28 years without him, and wanted to express the importance of God in her life now.

Through all this, she made several points that really stuck out to me that I wrote down.  Now, none of these things were new information to me, and won't be to you.  It is all stuff that I knew, but sometimes get too busy with day-to-day life that I sort of forget it a bit.

First, she said that young mothers have what she calls their "underground years."  These mothers' job is to tend to their children and husband, and raise their children in the way of the Lord.  Because of this, they don't usually have much of a "visible" ministry in the church and elsewhere.  But if they are spending their time daily in God's Word, working on their own life, studying the scriptures, and memorizing it, then, when their children are grown, they can "burst forth onto the scene" and take on a ministry because they have spent all those years preparing and studying, and they will be ready.  What a great reminder that is!  

I know some of you moms out there maybe sometimes feel like me.  You have your house to tend to, your husband, your children, and are often exhausted and overwhelmed with just the daily demands of life. Let alone, being involved in all types of ministry!  But, our family IS our ministry right now!  And we have this time to prepare ourselves for the future when we will have more time to devote to other ministries!  So now is the time to be preparing ourselves so we will be ready to take that on in 20 years!  Imagine, having 20 years worth of studying the Bible!  You will then be able to better counsel and help others after that!  

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't do anything now in the church, etc.  But it is a reminder that we shouldn't feel we have to, because we are already doing what God has called us to do.  Raising our children to love and honor the Lord is a high calling, and one that should have much time devoted to it.  But we also will not do a proper job if we are not preparing ourselves, too!  So, daily time in God's word is super important!  Good reminder for me when I feel like I should be doing more.  

The second thing that stood out to me was when she was talking about prayer.   She reminded us that prayer is a command, not a simple suggestion.  "Pray without ceasing."  "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint."  It should be a daily part of our lives, and more than just thanking the Lord for the food.  

So, what do we pray for?  Well, obviously our husbands.  They need our prayers.  Those of you who have husbands in the ministry know how hard it is for our men.  I think the devil works extra hard on men in the ministry to try to get them to fall, because it affects so many people when they do.  There are times that I can tell that the devil is trying so hard to discourage Matt, to get him to just give up and try another profession.  Also, as a man in the ministry, there are so many burdens they carry.  Matt deals with so many of other people's problems, trying to help them.  That is a lot to carry.  They also have the responsibility of preparing messages every week to deliver to God's people.  This takes hours of praying, studying, and seeking the Lord as to what He would have them to say.  He has to be sure that he is right in his own life so that the Lord can fully use him.  That alone is much to pray about.

Even those whose husbands are not in the ministry, but may work in the "world." have much to pray for.  They  have so many things that they may encounter everyday - temptations (other women, the boss or co-workers wanting them to be dishonest, etc.) it is wearing on them to constantly fight that!  We must pray for our men!

Also, we must pray for our children.  I like how she put this.  Elizabeth said, "Pray for your children as if you are the only one in the world that prays for them!"  I couldn't have put it any better!  Don't depend or assume that others are praying for your children!  You do it as if you are the only one!  When you get that mentality, there will be more of a fervency in your prayers!  Pray for their salvation, their health, their future spouses!  Pray for every aspect of their lives!!!

As I said before, none of this was new to me, but was a good reminder of why I am doing what I am doing.  It is so easy to get nearsighted and only see what is right in front of us, like the sink full of dishes; five loads of laundry waiting to be washed, dried, folded, and put away; a baby with a messy diaper again; bills to pay - the list could go on.  But when we look at it from a godly point of view, it makes things a little easier.  All that stuff still needs to be done, but the attitude is better.  And when you look at it like it is your ministry, it seems that those dishes are not as hard to scrub clean, the laundry is easy to fold and smells so nice :-), changing the baby's diaper is just a more time to spend with your precious little one, and paying the bills is fun when you are paying with the money that you know God provided for you!

So, that, again in a rather long nutshell, is some of how the Lord helped me to refocus on where I am in my stage of life, and what the Lord expects of me.  I encourage everyone, to take every opportunity that you can to go to any special meetings and conferences that you can.  They are often the spiritual pick-me-up that you may need!

I will go for now.  Tomorrow, I plan to post updates on the kids and possibly even some pics!  Ooooo..... exciting!  Until then......good night!