Do these things cause our joy?
- Does our good or bad "performance" as mothers make or break our joy?
- Do we believe if only we could be more organized, better housekeepers, or had more help from husbands or grandmothers...then we would be joyful?
- Do we think if our kids were better behaved, more cheerful, more helpful - perhaps more like someone else's kids...then we would be joyful?
- Do we think if our house was more beautiful or bigger or had more storage or was in a better neighborhood...then we would be joyful?
- How about more willpower and self-discipline...would we then be joyful?
- Does our joy depend on our feeling good and secure in regard to money, health, job, future outlook?
- Does our joy depend on having life proceed according to our plan? Or having others approve of us?
- Will the small and large stressors of life (inevitable) prevent our joy?
True joy comes from God, our relationship with Him, and knowing the will of God and doing it...through His strength and His enabling.
Ahhh...this was balm for my weary soul. And this was only the beginning of a powerful look at motherhood. I pray that God will touch you with these thoughts as He has touched me!
BTW, you can also find part of the article here if you have trouble linking to the above.
3 comments:
Jill, thanks so much for the post. It really convicted me of my lack of joy. It is so easy to look at your circumstances and think that you have a right to not be joyful. I will definitely be fighting for that "joy in Motherhood"! Love ya!!
SO GOOD! It's true. Whether we are stay at home moms, working moms, or not even moms at all, where does our joy come from? It reminds me of the passage about Jesus being the vine and about us being the branches. I (one of the branches) must remain in Him (the TRUE Vine) in order to have life and to bear fruit. REMAIN in Him! Thanks, Jill.
Holly, thanks for your thoughts about that passage in John. I have been thinking about that passage a lot lately! Christ wants our lives to be full of JOY despite our circumstances. And the only way to claim that joy is to abide in Him.
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