The Bible passage that changed the way I parent

Shortly after I had my second son there came a time when I approached my husband and asked him, "What is my role in bringing up the boys? I realise that fathers have a part to play in teaching them how to be masculine and so forth but what contribution should the mother have?" He replied that he didn't know and thought that maybe the mother was to tend to their "sookiness" and give them lots of kisses and cuddles.

I have only just now discovered my actual, real, God-given role in bringing up these two precious bundles of testosterone...and that is to raise them up as godly men.

It was well-known Christian writer and minister John MacArthur who led me to this passage in the Bible as I listened to his sermon "God's high calling for women" on CD. 1 Timothy 2:15 says "Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety" (King James Version).

I could never understand what this verse meant until the preacher explained it. In John MacArthur's commentary of the Bible his notes say:

"she. That Paul does not have Eve in mind here is clear because the verb translated 'will be saved' is future, and he also uses the plural pronoun 'they'. He is talking about women after Eve. will be saved. Better translated in the context 'will be preserved'. The greek word can also mean 'to rescue', 'to preserve safe and unharmed', 'to heal' or 'to deliver from'. It appears several times in the NT without reference to spiritual salvation. Paul is not advocating that women are eternally saved from sin through childbearing or that they maintain their salvation by having babies, both of which would be clear contraindications of the NT teaching of salvation by grace alone through faith alone sustained forever. Paul is teaching that even though a woman bears the stigma of being the initial instrument who led the race into sin, it is women through childbearing who may be preseved or freed from that stigma by raising a generation of godly children. in childbearing. Because mothers have a unique bond and intimacy with their children, and spend far more time with them than do fathers, they have far greater influence on their lives and thus a unique responsibility and opportunity for rearing godly children. While a woman may have led the human race into sin, women have the privilege of leading many out of sin to godliness. Paul is speaking in general terms; God does not want all women to be married, let alone bear children. if they continue in faith, love and holiness, with self-control. The godly appearance, demeanour,and behaviour commanded of believing women in the church is motivated by the promise of deliverance from any inferior status and the joy of raising godly children."

Wow! So many hidden truths in there! Think about it...Even though woman has led the entire human race into sin...she also has the special privelge to lead the human race out of sin. I'll say it one more time...Even though woman has led the entire human race into sin...she also has the special privelge to lead the human race out of sin. God has given us the chance to be delivered from the shame of a defiled Eden by enabling us to do our best with our children. This is what I want to do with my boys...to be as faithful and holy a mother as I can be and to preach the gospel to them all the days of their lives. Yes, doing that is definitely going to be a joy for me.

And on another note this makes me also aware of the curse of childbirth pains. Why is a woman so empowered when she can birth her babies naturally...feeling all the intensity and rawness of the contractions? Maybe enduring this curse will also help her to feel redeemed from her guilt.

So now, I am greeting each new day with my boys with a new awareness. Everything I do, I am doing for the Lord. I now know the importance of living my life in front of my boys as an example to them. I will also plan on homeschooling them so that I will be able to keep them from the lies of the devil that are likely to occur in a school environment. I may receive critisism for doing this but their careers and social life are of miniscule importance compared to their salvation. If I do go back to work it will only be once a fortnight so that I can spend the rest of those days teaching them and being their companion during the day.

Thank you God that I have discovered your calling for me. I pray that You shall give me energy and patience to raise my children so that they will one day see you face to face.

Welcome Home

Well we finally sold our house. A single woman about my age is going to move in. I have written her a letter because I felt that I needed to do it as a way of "letting go". I sure am going to miss my beautiful house...

 

Welcome Home.

Please look after our old house.

My husband and I have made our fair share of memories here over the past 7 years, and we hope there are many memories to be made by you in the years to come.

We bought this house two months before we married. Back in 2004 it was a blank canvas and many willing hands have made it into the beautiful picture it is today.

The very best years of our life were spent in this house. We officially moved in the day we came back from our honeymoon. We also brought our babies home from the hospital to this very place in 2009 and 2011. A tiny developing baby that I lost at 6 weeks gestation is also buried in a special spot on the lawn.

Each room tells a story.

The study is filled with warm conversations between me and my husband when I could find the time to spend a little moment with him after the kids were in bed.

The kitchen has nurtured a love of baking in the past year as I discovered the tastiness and thriftiness of "homemade".

My baby's nursery probably has the most memories. Here I changed oodles of nappies and received oodles of beaming smiles. In the corner of the room I sat each night to feed my babies off to a blissful slumber.

The bathroom has memories of relaxing in the tub after a long day at work and then playful splashes once my babies came along. I laboured with my babies in the shower, floating off into another world as I tried to cope with the intensity of contractions and the aches and pains of a pregnant body.

The bedroom is a sanctuary for comfort and rest. There have been many winter mornings spent curled up in pure blanket warmness after coming home from a long night duty as a nurse.

And last of all the lounge room has been filled with fits of laughter and tears of sadness as we watched some of our favourite TV comedies or a soppy romance movie.

You truly are welcome to make our house your own home. I plan on driving by every few years or so just to show my children the house that they grew up in and to make sure my own memories do not fade. 

Bless,

Lauren.

Hot Vegie Dressing

A great alternative to having cold salad. Snazz up some steamed vegetables with this recipe. Add a dash of each to the mixture so the ingredients can be adjusted according to taste. ...

• Vinegar
• Soy Sauce
• Lemon Juice and
• Sesame Oil

Easy peasy!

Fading souvenirs

I've just noticed that my linea nigra (you know the brownish streak hiding amongst your twice as thick stretch marks) has faded somewhat already. I'm a bit sad about it as it was my constant reminder of being pregnant, kind of like a souvenir.
I like having something tangible to keep as a memory of a fun or exciting time in my life. My husband is notorious for buying shabby things from theme parks or "attractions" in a small country town to remind him of life's adventures. I am currently decluttering and have raided the tupperware cupboard and secretly thrown out two sea world cups and one Australia Zoo cup that they use for softdrinks. For me though I like to have a different kind of reminder.
Things that arouse my senses are my favourite...a certain smell or a certain song can cause me to feel so sentimental it brings tears to my eyes. Enya's songs are my favourit. Her music can bring me so much peace. I've played her songs during "bubby" moments of my life...she helped me relax when I had my third trimester naps when pregnant with both children, she lulled Woo and Lou to sleep as a newborn...and again I listened to her wonderful songs while pregnant with Lou...dreaming of how he was growing inside and imagining what it would be like to experience that sacred rite of passage of giving birth to him.
Do you have a souvenir that almost brings tears to your eyes?

A day without tears

I am amazed. I survived today, this past week and this past month without falling into an emotional hyperventilating heap over the anniversary of the death of my dearest friend five years ago.
I am used to death. I've worked as a palliative care nurse and have washed dozens of lifeless bodies. I realise that we don't belong here on this earth and that our true home is heaven. When Beck died I knew that this knowledge and experience that I had would help in some way; but each year as January came around I found myself locked away in the bathroom crying in hysterics over how I miss her dearly.
This year has been different. Maybe it is because I have a 12 week old baby to keep the sadness at bay or maybe I have just come to accept that she is gone. It does feels good though.