Today I am going to try and remember that I don't need to be Superwoman. Nan spoke about just being content with being at home and not having to fill our days with countless activities. Also Amy over At the Well today speaks about quiet time and how we shouldn't feel we have failed if we don't have quiet time in the traditional sense.
I think, as women we set ourselves up for a fall. I certainly do! We try to be the perfect mum, wife, serve God at Church, be hospitable, be a homemaker and also hold jobs down while fulfilling all these other roles. I am not saying that we should not strive for all these things but I do think that it is important to think about which roles are God given and how we obey God. I believe that eventually something has got to give, for me I chose to stay at home with the kids.
An example that springs to mind is service to God at Church. I used to have a real problem with this. I used to think I must be doing something, I must be seen to be serving God at Church in some way. Then my hubby, Colin, reminded me that serving God at home is of major importance. Being a mother is such a service to God. It is one of the biggest responsibilities I have been faced with in my life. To be in charge of a small human being is quite a thought! So now I do serve God at Church, but only really since the kids have gotten a bit bigger and less dependant on me.
I think we can make the mistake of comparing ourselves to others and trying to keep up with them without being prayerful about where God wants us and obeying his will for us at home.
3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5 NIV.
As women the Bible shows us that we have God given roles which we should fulfil. I don,t know about you, but I find my role as mum and homemaker challenging enough without pressuring myself to do everything else! Amy over At the Well speaks about being in "a different season of life". Our lives change constantly and especially if you have little ones. So it is not always practical to spend quiet time with God, alone, early in the morning with just the birds for company! If we really want to cherish God and spend time with him we need to get imaginative in how we do that and be prepared to change our approach.
So today, try not to do it all, be all things to all people, throw off your cape Superwoman! Put on some cosy slippers, stay home (like Nan says) and just enjoy your God given roles.