How Is Your Posture?
August 2nd, 2007 by FiddledeedeeI heard a sermon last Sunday that really spoke to me. Yes, I was actually able to go to church, put the children in Sunday School, and sit peacefully with Fiddledaddy and listen to a really great teaching. It has been a long long time since I’ve been back to church (since the hideous scissors incident). And no, this was not the same church.
Sometimes a weary mom just needs to sit quietly and be ministered to. But, I’m preaching to the choir. Y’all know this. Amen?
Anyhoo, the sermon revolved around how we posture ourselves to God, and how that in turn affects the way He responds to us. In other words, am I sitting back with my arms folded? Or am I leaning forward, open to His teaching?
There were two really great analogies given. The first was, when our children are in error, how we respond to them has everything to do with their “posture” after they’ve done the deed. Do they really have a repentant heart, or are they trying to place blame on their sibling? Today, I had first hand experience. I took the girls to a favorite craft store that is going out of business so that we could purchase more useless junk that we don’t need. Because we can never have too much useless junk. We were in the candle aisle, and I had just said to Emme, “Be careful, these are really heavy and breakable.” Just then, before I could stop her, she lifted a candle by the lid which sent it crashing to the ground, breaking into thousands of tiny shards of glass. She froze, looking up at me with an ashen face and big blue teary eyes and whispered, “Oh mom, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.” After I cleared them away from the dangers of the broken glass, I took her face into my hands and told her that I understood, but we needed to go up to the front so she could tell the store cashier what happened.” Her lip quivered, “will you go with me?” she asked. “Of course I will.”
If she had responded to the incident with defiance, or rebellion, my response to her would have been very very different. She took my hand tightly, and walked the long aisle up to the front of the store, dragging her feet. When we arrived, I gently nudged her, and she lifted her eyes from the floor to look at the store manager to admit that she accidentally dropped a candle that she shouldn’t have been touching, and it broke. The kind manager smiled and very graciously thanked her for her honesty, and told her that accidents happen, and not to worry, they would clean it up. We offered to pay for the broken candle, but she would not hear of it.
Sometimes God just hands us those really teachable moments. For both me and my daughter. I didn’t respond to her in anger. By looking into her sweet little face, I could see her heart. Much the same way I know that God deals with me when I screw up. And I screw up plenty.
Another analogy that I heard on Sunday morning was a story of three men, all building the same structure. A back breaking job, chipping rock to form the wall that would surround a new building. A stranger happens by and asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” He responds gruffly with, “What does it look like I’m doing, I’m breaking rocks!” The stranger moves on down the sidewalk a bit and asks the second worker, “What are you doing?” The second laborer responds in a tired worn voice, “I’m chipping stone for this stupid fence.” The stranger goes a bit further and sees the third worker and asks, “What are you doing?” The worker looks up, wipes the sweat from his brow, smiles, and with a sweeping gesture toward the location of the new building says, “I’m building a cathedral, and it will be magnificent!”
Three laborers. All doing the same job. Which one of them has the best posture?
I have to admit that my posture isn’t always so good. A lot of the time I’m just face down in the linoleum. In the midst of all the cooking, cleaning, teaching, and mothering, I can feel very much like the first laborer. I can be bitter and indifferent. Sometimes being a wife and mother can feel like such a thankless job. I never seem to accomplish anything, and the work is endless. But, is that attitude that I’m exhibiting to my family?
Oh God, I want to be like the third worker. I want to see the bigger picture. To have abundant joy and take pride in what I’m called to do. I want to see that the work that I’m doing here is much bigger than even I can imagine.
And to do that I need to straighten up, have a truly repentant heart, and lean into God. Not only to rely on His strength, when I have none, but to listen to what He has to say to me. Especially in those teachable moments.
Psalm 51:10-12
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Posted in Faith | 30 Comments »
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:07 am
Wow.
I needed to hear this tonight.
Just tonight my Mom related a conversation she had with my daughter today.
My mom asked my little girl if she thought her mommy was beautiful.
She said no.
My mom was puzzled and inquired why she thought that way, and Jill told her I was beautiful but that when I was upset with her I was not. She doesn’t like my “angry face”.
I know I must have had that face alot recently, as she has been the QUEEN of the WHINERS and TANTUM THROWERS and I have spoken out of frustration and annoyance more times than I should have.
Thanks for encouraging me (by sharing what you learned) to change my posture towards my little one.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:33 am
I’m a lurker! I’ve read your blog for awhile now but never commented. Tonight, however, I had to. This was a wonderful post! The picture of the God of the Universe taking my teary-eyed face in His hands and forgiving me is almost too much to fathom. And yet it’s true. He loves us like that. Thank you for reminding me of that and reminding me that I should approach Him with the right posture. So moving.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:32 am
OH MY!! What an amazing post, and I SO NEEDED to read this, this morning. I hope you don’t mind, but I am linking to this post from my blog. THANK YOU for sharing this. God really used you to speak to me today.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:35 am
LOVE this! Are you familiar with Nicole Johnson’s “Invisible Woman” book and skit? Wonderful, and your post reminded me of it. From amazon’s description:
Invisibility is inflicted upon mothers. By the nature of the job their faces disappear and their work is anonymous. They become hands, building and shaping, fashioning and carving. But what if mothers saw their role like a builder working on one of the great cathedrals?
One day a man showed up on the construction site of one of the great cathedrals and saw a builder carving a tiny bird into a beam that would eventually be covered over by the roof. Puzzled, the man asked the worker, “Why are you putting so much time and effort into something no one will ever see?” It is reported that the builder replied, “Because God sees.”
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:49 am
How true. I loved the illustrations. How often I have a stubborn frustrated heart to and with my precious family. Thank you for sharing what you have been learning. Lord, help us all to remember to ask for new clean hearts of flesh for our families.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:45 am
Amen and amen. I want to be building a cathedral, too! Blessings…
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:07 am
Beautiful. I have always loved the second story–especially as an eternal optimist who once lived as an intense pessimist.
God is good and only He can make the actual change in us–if we are willing.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:37 am
Technically, I’m on a blogging break — no posting, no commenting. But I had to break it to say this was GREAT! I’ll be thinking about it all day. Thanks for providing the meat for my mental meal.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:48 am
Great post. Psalm 51 is a passage I go back to very often, as it has so many ways of touching my heart. You wrote what I have been feeling lately. Thanks!
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:05 am
WOW….TOTALLY BLESSED AND MINISTERED TO MY HEART! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Sunshine
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:26 am
I would love to quote the analogy of the 3 workers in an edevotion that I need to write. It is for our church. I do this about twice a month.
May I have your permission to quote it?
And besides you, is there someone I can give credit to?
Thanks
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 am
I loved this post and the way you handled your daughter in the store. The points from the sermon were great too. I really liked the story about the 3 workers. Isn’t it amazing the 3 different perseptions they had. As they say “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Thanks for sharing this! Love your blog.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:45 am
Thanks for posting this – I really needed to hear it.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:31 am
(tears welling) *sniff*
Now I want to go back to the Bon Marche and apologize for breaking that china cup when I was 13.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Thank you sooo much for this post! It was totally meant for me to read it at this moment in time.
I have not had a very good posture with my daughter (2 yrs. old) today. I’ve even apologized to her for it. I’ve been so impatient and in the wrong.
Oh how I want to be like the 3rd man in the analogy too. My posture needs working on and this was a huge help!! Thank goodness you went to hear this sermon huh?
God bless!
You are a great writer by the way…HILARIOUS, but this one was wonderful!
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:06 pm
my posture? slumped into a weary heap whispering “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now would be a good time.”
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
“Restore to me the joy of my salvation” is my constant prayer. . .
Thank you for a wonderful post! God loves it when we want to me more like Him. . .
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Oh wow, great post!! Thanks so much for sharing this!
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:44 pm
What a blessing to read this post today! It ministered to be both as a mother, and as a child of God. Thanks!
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Thanks. I needed this today.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Thank you, thank you for sharing this. It ministered to me in a mighty way tonight. I can always count on you to make me giggle, but I so appreciate the times you challenge and encourage me as well.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:29 pm
I’ve heard that cathedral story before, and it really hit home. Your story about Emme and the candle did the same thing tonight.
Thank you for blessing me…
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:32 pm
You think it would be too terribly inconvenient of me to travel down from West Virginia every Sunday morning to come to church with you?
What a fantastic sermon!
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:35 pm
all i can say is, thank you for providing me with a great follow-up to my post yesterday. it was an ugly mommy day and i really needed to remind myself of this verse!
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:25 am
Beautifully said my friend.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:13 am
Beautiful. You have a way with words. This is a great reminder.
Hugs!
Kat
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:46 am
Well, I needed this post today…..as I’m sitting on the heating pad, with my laptop, catching up with my bloglines, on the couch…where I can’t see the mountain of dishes in the kitchen that could, quite possibly, get up and walk out here to get me all on their own!
Okay, so I’m off to build my cathedral now…thanks for the perspective!
Oh yeah, and where did you find that industrial-strength child gate you mentioned in a long ago post? I think I’ve finally convinced the man that caging the animal could be a good thing for all of the involved parties! Problem is, I haven’t found one that I don’t think he could scale at will. I figure, if it will hold Jensen, it will hold David…..at least, I would HOPE!!!
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:27 am
I’ve been saying that verse for the last two weeks! Except I’m the child that dropped the candle and irritated with the whole thing as well as myself. And don’t ya know that’s when patients runs out the door and all that is left is the ’scary mom’ – the one who hides under the blankets and throws M&Ms at her children just to get them to stop whatever it is they are doing.
I’m sure none of you can relate!
August 5th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Thank you. I am sitting here in tears! It was as if you delivered the sermon yourself.
August 6th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
You seem to have struck a nerve, here! I know it struck mine. Thanks for sharing, it spoke to me as well!