Humility: True Greatness

I sit here in the still warmth of the afternoon (oh, blessed spring!), contemplating a book I just finished reading for the second time; a book that, more than any other in my life, has left me standing at a spiritual crossroads, knowing which road to take but struggling over that first tentative step.

If you don't want to be convicted, don't read this book!! I've always known of the pride in my life, but I never lost any sleep over it - until God began revealing to me, through Scripture and C.J. Mahaney's words, the all-pervasive nature of my pride, and His total abhorrance of it.

Let me first mention that Mahaney describes himself as "a proud man pursuing humility by the grace of God." His words, while full of truth, exhibit a gentleness and grace that can only come from one truly seeking humility.

Mahaney defines pride as "contending for supremacy with God." Pride is the root of all sin, and has only one end: self-glorification. He contrasts cultural greatness with biblical greatness (serving others for the glory of God), emphasizing that true greatness is attainable only through Christ's sacrificial death. And lest we think too highly of our own abilities, he reminds us that Christ died as a "ransom for sinners" - a ransom being the price paid for a slave, prisoner of war, or condemned criminal. We lack the ability even to rid ourselves of pride and selfish ambition; this requires divine rescue!

Mahaney doesn't leave humility in the theoretical realm, but offers over 30 pages of concrete ways to purposefully pursue humility on a daily basis; at the beginning and end of each day, as well as throughout the day.

Of particular poignancy for me were his thoughts on pride as it relates to anxiety - that a truly humble person is care free, not bound up by the pressure of trying to be self-sufficient. I must daily cast my cares on Christ and in so doing, humble myself. He also suggests playing a lot of golf and learning to laugh at yourself!

He admonishes us to identify "evidences of grace" in others (fellow believers, family members, etc.), and adresses the issue of correcting / admonishing in humility. We are to guard each other spiritually! A truly humble person sets aside self-interest and speaks words that will save a brother in Christ from the deceitfulness of sin and its hardening effects. Bottom line: "The biblical purpose for every conversation you have, in every personal interaction, is that the person will receive grace." Ouch. Definitely room for improvement there . . .

The last two chapters, which address humility in the midst of hardship, and leaving a legacy of humility for your children, are both insightful and powerful.

What makes these pages stand out from others I've read is that they are intensely convicting. Since the first time I read through them, I am repeatedly reminded of the foothold pride - selfish ambition - has in my attitudes, words and actions. I know what I need to do and yet I don't want to do it!! I need to give God the first moments of my day, which will require rising earlier. And I need to find several people with whom I can be honest about sin issues I battle daily. These things are absolutely necessary for spiritual growth, even though they are certainly contrary to my natural bent.

So - READ THIS BOOK!! (unless you have "itching ears")

Making Memories

Seven months after Karis' birth, I've finally realized that extra hours are never going to magically appear in my day. So I've decided that it's time to take on the monumental task of catching up on the last 9 months of scrapbooking. *groan* I think I might actually enjoy it someday when I'm not always way behind.

I've made great progress so far. After about an hour of staring at a blank page, I decided to reorganize all my supplies . . .

That led to a trip to Hobby Lobby (50% off on all paper, stickers and albums!!).

One piece of advice, if I may: Do not ever, under any circumstances, make an elaborate first-year scrapbook for your darling firstborn. It's great the first time around, but not so great when you realize you're stuck doing the same thing for EVERY child.

Also, don't try to scrapbook while watching "White Oleander."

Dumped Cake

Well, here goes the account of yet another bizarre happening in the Wright household . . .

For LIFE group last night, I made a dump cake. I remember thinking how nice it is to live in the Age of Pyrex Portables - to be able to just pack up your pan in a convenient carrying case and go.

This morning, running late for Bible Study, I was attempting to load two children into the car while yelling for another to come back from the street, and noticed that the remaining bit of dump cake was still sitting where we had left it last night - on Zekers' car seat (I guess there is ONE good thing about the current cold weather!). Annoyed, I took it out and finished loading the kids.

We had just finished lunch, and I thought there's just enough cake left to give to R & Z for dessert. But an extensive search of the kitchen, dining room, garage and car left me puzzled and empty-handed.

It was then that I remembered, as through a fog, setting the dish up on something - maybe the car!? just to get it out of the way. I gasped, searched the car top (nothing there), and told the kids to get ready: we were going to look for Mommy's dump cake. We began to retrace our route to the church, with Zekers in the back saying, "We're gonna find Mommy's dump cake," and looking proud of himself.

We found the cake, alright - about halfway between our house and the church - in someone's yard. Thank goodness for that carrying case, which now contained "glass chunk dump cake." The highlight of this whole scenario, though, was Rachel, who, as soon as I spotted the dish in the yard and brought it back to the car, congratulated me with, "Good eye, Mommy. That was amazing!"

And if I may add a little aside to this whole thing: When I came into the house to get the kids so we could look for the cake, I was greeted by Rachel, running toward me, wearing one of Danny's shoes on one foot and one of my clogs on the other, and NOT wearing any pants or underwear. She's done the shoe thing, and the no underwear thing, many times before, but not often at the same time, and not while attempting to run.

There are times in my life when words completely fail me. This was definitely one of those times.

Top Ten Things I Learned on our Trip to Cincinnati

10. At nicer dining establishments, it is customary to tip the guys who do the valet parking AFTER they bring you your car following the meal - not as you're arriving!

9. Tipping is also expected when the host/hostess seats you at a table for 2 near a window, apparently.

8. Montgomery Inn = THE BEST RIBS EVER!!!!!

7. Shopping at the Gap Clearance Center could quite possibly be even better than shopping at any thrift store.

6. There are actually clothing stores in the US that allow you to take nearly 100 clothing items into the dressing room at once.

5. 24 hours is the perfect amount of time to be away. We missed our munchkins like crazy by the time we came back!

4. Never buy a bathing suit one size too small and hope you'll somehow fit into it by summer.

3. You know you need to get out more when going to a 9:45 movie makes you feel all wild and crazy.

2. When you have kids, everyone just assumes you're going away for the sole purpose of having sex.

1. I really like being with my husband alone. (TALKING!)

A Word to the Wise

Don't EVER buy generic deoderant!! Just don't do it!

Trying to save a couple bucks? Think, "It's just deoderant - what difference could it make" ?

DON'T DO IT, I SAY!!!

Generic is great when purchasing many items, but I learned from my mistake on this one. For the last several weeks, it has felt like I'm rubbing my pits with sand paper. Take it from a tightwad: definitely not worth the $1.43 I saved.

It's Over!

As I write, I'm heaving a huge sigh of relief.

About four months ago, I was asked to provide music for the March meeting of the Christian Women's Club here in Greenville. I was supposed to come up with 2 songs - one secular and one sacred. Well, they met in a different room than usual - one with no piano. And I don't exactly have a great selection of background tracks for secular songs (or Christian songs, for that matter!) My only option was to *GULP* dig out my guitar and go to it.

For the past two weeks I have been SO nervous!! This whole solo act thing, providing my own accompaniment, was entirely new to me.

It actually went OK, though. None of the cataclysmic disasters I've been visualizing all week came to pass. I didn't forget the words or have to make any up as I went, and it was kind of fun. Although I don't think the mostly-over-70 crowd really connected with my Michelle Branch selection! I also sang "Less Like Scars" by Sara Groves, and it totally went with the speaker's message - so cool.

Several good things came out of the morning:

1. I don't think anything else could have motivated me to pick up my guitar again after several years of not playing. But now I'm addicted!

2. I got to try something new: asparagus, mashed potatoes and cheese rolled up in a tortilla. Yum!

3. Phyllis, who sat by me at the brunch, is going to teach me how to make apple pie - with a super easy crust recipe! Yea - I don't think I've actually made a pie crust since getting married.

4. I won a really cool shamrock sweatshirt (won the contest for most recent birthday!) :-)

5. I learned that Danny does every once in a while give me good advice! (it was his idea to use my guitar and I fought him on it for a while)

And now . . . Cincinnati, here we come!

More Than Rubies

"You have an influence that supercedes any constitutional rank."
- Chief of Staff Mike Novick, to First Lady Martha Logan on "24" (3.13.06)


In the midst of terrorist plots, betrayal, heart-wrenching deaths, and Jack Bauer's hoarse shouting, one small but breathtakingly profound sentence caught my attention - so much so that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for the last three days, which is why I'm here now, writing about it, when there are about 14 other things I should be doing.

A little background: as the veep feeds the president some very bad advice about instuting martial law during a terrorist crisis, Chief of Staff Mike Novick pleads with the First Lady to intervene. To her protests of, "But he's the vice president!" Novick responds with the above quote. Heeding his counsel, she goes to her husband, using her influence for the good of the country. (Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next Monday to find out what the president decides, but so far, things are looking up!)

There aren't a whole lot of earthly accolades for trying to be a God-honoring wife and mother. Now in a completely different role than I was four years ago, or even one year ago, I find periods of self-doubt more the rule than the exception. Is God using me at all? Has my sphere of influence shrunk to the point almost of non-existence?

But I find the following truths from Scripture:

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown. (Prov. 12:4)"

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. (Prov. 31:10)"

I read about Timothy's godly mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5). Their legacy: sincere faith that lived on through him and had a timeless effect on all of Christendom.

My latest newsflash is this: Although the number of people my life touches regularly has grown smaller by necessity; God has entrusted to my care four people for whom I am a PRIMARY influence. Frankly, that scares me to death! As a wife and mother, God has given me incredible power to use either for destructive purposes or for His glory.

Oftentimes I've misinterpreted Scripture passages, taking them to mean that my role is somehow lesser as a woman. NOT TRUE! I get to spend all day every day with a baby, a toddler and a pre-schooler, helping to mold their very lives and character. I get to be there for all the ordinary, and the extraordinary, moments of their existence. I get to teach them about Jesus and how much He loves them. I get to be a sounding board for Danny - a safe place where he can express his heart. I get to support him in his ministry to the point that it becomes OUR ministry.

Women, we have an incredibly powerful, God-given role that we must not take lightly. I try to remind myself of this as I change dirty diapers and fold mountains of laundry and Swiffer the dining room floor. Sometimes the flesh takes over and I find myself resenting every minute of it. But more and more frequently, a still, small voice whispers, "As you perform these mundane tasks to keep your house and family in order, it's Me you serve. So fold joyfully; instruct faithfully; prepare meals with a glad heart; mop with reckless abandon. As you do so you worship ME."

Thanks for reading.

Freecycling

If you have stuff you want to get rid of, or if you like getting free stuff, this site is for you! It's in conjunction with Yahoo, so you have to join Yahoo to use it, but that also is free of charge. There's another similar site that allows small charges, also through Yahoo.

The Dayton Daily News ran an article on these sites this weekend; apparently, you can find everything from kids clothes to major appliances and furniture. Just go to the site, hit "US Central" for Ohio, find your local board, and follow instructions from there.

Why spend all your hard-earned money at thrift stores when you can get what you need for free??

Thanks, Mom!

Keeping Yourself Happy

Believe it or not, this is the actual title of a televised sermon I watched last night.

It was a little after 9, the kids had just gone to bed, and I was idly flipping through the channels looking for something to watch so I wouldn't die of boredom while folding laundry. What I ended up viewing was fascinating, in an I-can't-believe-I'm-actually-hearing-this kind of way.

It started out OK. The preacher hammered home the need to guard against enabling people who continually take advantage of others' kindness; to be discerning when it comes to the negative, controlling people in our lives. It sounded more like a therapy session than a sermon, I thought, but maybe he was just trying to offer a very practical, specific application of a Scripture passage. I kept listening.

About halfway through, I stopped folding laundry, grabbed a pen and paper, and began writing down quotes I found particularly astonishing coming from someone who calls himself a follower of Christ:

"I had to do what I felt good about."

"Follow your own heart." (This said repeatedly)

I gotta do what's best for me - that's my 1st priority."

"We live to please everyone else, but we need to take time to please ourselves."

Not a word about living for CHRIST & His glory, about following the Savior, about actually praying for and loving negative people in my life, about making GOD's agenda first priority. As if my own heart is an accurate gage of truth!!

The Scripture he threw out was Song of Solomon 1:6. "They made me a caretaker of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not tended." And the point he made from that one verse (actually only half a verse) was that the most important thing we can do is to take care of our own vineyard. And how is this accomplished? Get away from people who make you feel bad about yourself and only associate with people who don't pressure you or demand anything from you. Because it's all about YOU and YOUR vineyard.

About a dozen Scriptures are parading through my head right now, but I'm not writing to make an argument; this entire line of reasoning is pretty obviously anti-biblical. I guess what saddened me the most was seeing the thousands of people in the audience, nodding along and applauding. Yes, I'm a victim of mean people - I need to start putting myself first. And then there's the viewing audience, probably thousands more. I pray that their eyes will be opened to the hope and the joy that are found only through complete surrender to Christ. And I pray that God will continue to open my eyes to selfishness and pride in my own life. But for the grace of God . . .

Hungry

Is there anything my son won't eat??

Last summer it was sand and wood chips at the park. In the fall it was dirt and leaves from our backyard. Now that he has more refined tastes, it's green and blue play doh (I guess pink and yellow just don't possess the same melt-in-your-mouth quality).

I've caught him eating what I assumed were raisins, until I realized they were actually a couple of month-old grapes he scrounged from under the couch (Yes, the house does get cleaned, on occasion).

Today we stopped in at Kroger to grab a few items for LIFE group. In keeping with our custom, Rachel and Zekers both got to carry a "baby apple" (just a regular old apple, but I'm not gonna be the one to tell them any different!) around with them while we shopped. Upon arriving home, I went to unstrap Zekers from his car seat, and was met by a fat grinning face, and a hand holding out a stem with a few little pieces of apple clinging to it. He had eaten the ENTIRE thing - peel, core, seeds and all.

I'm currently checking colleges across the country for a "food consumption" degree. He'd be first in his class.

Ode to Mediocrity

I'm searching for the right word to describe today (actually, the last five days), and, ironically, I can't quite put my finger on it.

Not that it's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day or anything like that. I just can't seem to get anything right. I made soup a couple days ago - soup that was a big hit with the fam the last time around. We practically had to force feed it to the kids this time. How can you make the exact same recipe and have it turn out completely different each time?

In addition to losing all my (severely limited) cooking skills, I've been a very subpar wife and mother & lousy friend; my guitar doesn't like me much anymore, as I can't elicit any sound from it that doesn't set my teeth on edge; my voice has gone to you-know-where since I got this sinus infection; I introduced myself to a lady last Sunday at church and found out she is a charter member of the church (oops); I scheduled a woman to serve in the nursery during her surgery - a surgery she'd told me about months ago.

I tried to get back into doing Pilates and lasted about 8 minutes (of an hour workout); I've read several disturbing articles on newssites and secular blogs this week, but can't think of any response intelligent enough to put in a comment; my prayers are ricochetting (sp?) off the ceiling and hitting me in the head; I can't seem to focus on anything; I have exactly zero creative scrapbooking ideas and four books to work on; and as I write, I'm polishing off the last of an entire box of girl scout cookies (samoas!).

Maybe I just need a vacation . . .