Monday Meditations: The Wiles of a Woman

If there's one thing that is fascinating about having children, it's the blatant display of sin nature from birth.  Many say that kids are innocent and such, and perhaps they are to a degree.  But there is no doubt they are sinners waiting for their bodies/minds to catch up so they can follow their own desires.  Has anyone ever had to teach their kids to lie, not share, boast in themselves, hit/bite out of anger, etc.?  I think not.  And if someone did teach their kids how to do things like that, there's a much bigger problem!  :-P

It's always been a sad transition for me when my children have reached that age in toddlerhood where you start seeing WILLFUL disobedience -- as in, contemplation of disobedience, how to do it, how to get away with it, how to smooth things over in order to avoid discipline.  Both my boys hit that phase.  But now my little girl has hit that phase.  And let me tell you...just as there have been many other gender differences in watching my kids grow up, this is another one!

Boys?  They are just outright disobedient.  There might be some mischief mixed in here and there, but neither of my sons has ever tried to schmooze their way out of anything.  They either run away and hide, throw a fit of anger at being disciplined, or they man up and take it, knowing they did wrong.  But my sweet, adorable girl?  Nuh-uh.  I've now seen that no one has to teach a female how to be, well, female.  Let me give you an example.

One of our biggest issues with Snickers lately is that she is very skillful in taking off her pants and diaper, generally at the most inconvenient times like sleeping time or playtime when Mommy has to be doing other things.  We know that she knows it's a no-no.  She's reached a point where we have realized it has to become a discipline issue.  Apparently, she's also reached the point where she knows what we'll do if we find her diaper-less.  Yesterday, I went into her room at naptime after peeking in and seeing a (cute!) bare bottom.  She stood up in her crib, all smiles with sparkly eyes and chatter-boxed away at me.  I had "the talk" with her about her disobedience, and picked her up out of her crib.  In that motion of lifting her out, she immediately gave me a huge smooch on the cheek followed by a heart-melting giggle.  ARGH!  Must fight the warm fuzzies so she'll see disobedience is serious!!  Today?  Yeah.  Caught her naked again.  So what does she do when I walk up to her crib to commence "the talk" again?  She lays there and gives me a coy little wave of the hand with a Mona Lisa grin.  ARGH!  Stop that!  "Did you disobey Mommy and take your diaper off?"  No answer except another wave and a soft, cheerful "Hiii!"  I did follow through with the talk, but boy is she good at trying to melt my heart into a puddle of gooey love!  She's GOT to learn that Mommy has a Rock at the center of my melted heart...and I have to obey that Rock even if the talks aren't fun for either of us.

It's all been very eye opening to me and has made me ponder the wiles of women (a great example of this is in Proverbs 5).  Even at almost 2 years old, my female child knows how to manipulate, look cute, schmooze,  cry big tears, yell at you when she's not getting her way, and speak sweetly to distract you from the truth.  Just this morning, she actually used her finger and voice in a tsk-tsk fashion at her brother for touching her stuffed kitty!  Kinda scary.  Especially knowing that sin unhindered exponentially grows each year it is allowed to keep root in the heart.  Time to don the battle armor and fight for my baby girl, praying that she'll channel her femininity to honor Christ and become His warrior princess!

Monday Meditation: 5 D's

Duty & Drudgery. Desire & Daily.

One of the books I'm currently reading is Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. The women in my small group have just started going through it together, and it's been a book I've wanted to read for quite some time. Yeah for the "requirement" to now read it! :-) Today's meditation comes from one of the introductory chapters.

We are commanded to put sin to death. It is our duty to do so. But duty without desire soon produces drudgery. And it is the truth of the gospel, reaffirmed in our hearts daily, that puts desire into our duty. It is the gospel that stokes the fire of our motivation to deal with our respectable and subtle sins. It is the gospel that motivates us to seek to be in our daily experiences what we are in our standing before God.

(p. 36)

Over the years, I've had opportunity to have a few deep spiritual conversation in which I stepped on one of my soap boxes...that I dearly wish I would remember to stand on for myself every day! Faith is a choice we make each day. It goes along with the oft-heard quote Bridges mentions, "Preach the gospel to yourself every day." Yes, there is the initial step of faith in which salvation is brought to our souls by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin and death. But then there is the daily choice to have faith that Jesus Christ WILL continue His sanctifying work, ridding your soul's soil of the dead roots of sin.

Following are some questions that convict me -- I wish I thought about them every day!

-How often do I remember that I am not alone in my battle against sin? That I have been FREED from sin and do NOT have to succumb to it? That in my own power, I will fail over and over and over? That if I am led by the Spirit, I will walk by the Spirit? ::ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch:: ...ouch.

-As I move throughout my day, how often do I even think about Christ and what He did on the cross? Do I remind myself of the finality of His death and resurrection? That I am eternally forgiven for sins I haven't even committed yet?

-How often do I remember that He could come back for me in the very next breath I take? Or that I could meet Him in my sleep tonight? Now, think of that answer in light of how sinful I am each day.

-How often do I remember that the Holy Spirit is living WITHIN me, ready and willing to help me overcome the impatience, anger, laziness, selfishness, and pride that well up at a moment's notice?

-When I pray, why do I so often pray as if I'm talking to a God who is "out there" far away in heaven? If the Holy Spirit is within me, God is closer than "near" me! I think it is very unfortunate how many (including myself) are programmed to pray to God, as in God the Father. How often do I pray to God the Son, praising Him for what He did for me? How often do I pray to God the Holy Spirit, thanking Him for His comfort and guidance and asking for increasing conviction and purification?

-If God the Spirit is dwelling within me, why do I not see the ugliness of my sin all the more? Why do I not think this each day and use it to put desire in my duty to dig up and throw out the sin in my soul? The Most Holy of the universe living in an ugly, unkempt garden with unfathomable potential? Get to work, woman!!

Duty is done much more quickly and completely when desire is behind it!!!

Remembering Christ has saved me once for all and the Holy Spirit is walking with me in sanctification SHOULD put desire in my duty to eradicate sin. Battling sin is far to often a drudgery for me...because I don't remember my Savior often enough. It's too easy for life to choke out Life. Husband, kids, meals, laundry, dust, germs, appointments, friends, service, events, TV, email, Facebook, packing, lack of sleep, hormones, SIN... My life is packed. My brain seemingly overloaded. Or is it just not organized properly?

Enter the 5th D.

discipline.

::groooooaaaan:: I loath the word. Only because I know JUST how important it is to life and godliness. And how HARD it is to obtain.

I need to discipline my mind to remember the Gospel each day. Discipline my brain into thinking each day on what God has done for me, that I am already free from sin, that the Holy Spirit within me will help me choose righteousness each time I am tempted to sin, that getting rid of sin should be a daily desirous duty rather than a drudgery.

And I betcha that once I, with the Spirit's help, can discipline myself to remember the Gospel each day and have daily faith that Christ will continue His work in me, sin will fall OUT of place and everything else will fall INTO place. Where sin is absent, holy freedom reigns.

Rather than allowing life to choke out Life, I need to let Life run my life. Daily.

**EDIT**

Ok, so I wrote this post right after I read the opening quote. Then I finished reading the chapter. I was shocked to read the very same thoughts I had put in this post, especially concerning the Holy Spirit. What a beautiful affirmation of my thought process. See? Proof that He is living within me, helping me to grow. :-)

And one quote that made me laugh outloud...because it's soooo true: "If we are prone to sinful anger, there will be circumstances that trigger our anger." HA! Thanks for the three kids, Lord. ;-) He sure does know exactly what we need to sanctify us where we need sanctifyin' - amen?