Tuesday, December 30, 2008

More and Less

I reflected a lot today on last night's post about the second guessing we do as mothers/women/people. I was struck by the many nuggets of wisdom in the follow-up comments that were posted, as well as this comment a friend e-mailed me:
"Wrestling can make you a better Mom. Keep wrestling only if it brings you conviction not condemnation."

Isn't that the truth? We should live life with our eyes wide-opened looking for the rough places that God points out to us for smoothing, but we cannot leave God out of it. When I think of wrestling, I think of Jacob. He wrestled with God. Yesterday, I wrestled more with my pride than with my Lord. My self-examination was really that...SELF examination. I did not spend my drive home praying for God to search my heart. I was trying to do it all myself.

This afternoon I read the following quote:
"Christian discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God's righteousness and less and less attention to our own; finding the meaning of our lives not by probing our moods and motives and morals but by believing in God's will and purposes; making a map of the faithfulness of God, not charting the rise and fall of our enthusiasms." Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

May my refrain always be: "More of Him. Less of me."

6 comments:

Tales of a Peanut said...

I just wanted to let you know that your posts are so refreshing. It's so nice to hear a honest point of view. And you definitely challenge me to be a better person! I only hope that when my baby arrives in May I'm half a good as mom as you are to your children! Keep up the good work!

Bailey's Leaf said...

Amen, sister friend!

Aimee said...

That reminds me of John 3:30...
"He must become greater; I must become less."

Thanks for your heartfelt posts!!
Aimee

and 2 became 5 said...

good words. hope you are well!! I hear that some of our dear friends will be moving your way real soon :) - take good care of the Combes!

Kate Geisen said...

I need to buy that book. Every quote you've mentioned has been so enlightening.

k and c's mom said...

It is your honesty that keeps me returning to your blog.."warts" and all. :) You handle this imperfect world with grace and a smile.