Armour of God, Homemaker-style
Armour of God. Ephesians 6:11 - ???.
The last couple of days, I've been reflecting on that particular passage, and how it translates to my daily life.
Breaking it down into pieces, it goes like this:
Belt of Truth: Without spending time in God's word, without clothing myself in His truth, I'm not surprised that my spiritual pants are saggy.
Breastplate of Righteousness: Mine kinda looks more like a clean shirt than a breastplate, but I can tell you that when I got dressed this morning, I had praise in my heart.
Shoes of Peace: Again, mine are more like sneakers, but I'm not surprised that we haven't had a peaceful household, because I tend to forget this one almost every day. Not today though, and it's showing!
Shield of Faith: I confess. Mine is an apron. But when I put it on in the morning, I call it a shield, and as I tie that shield around my waist, I pray for a stronger faith, for a more childlike faith, for faith that will shield me from all the flaming arrows (tantrums, bickering, whingeing) the Enemy can shoot at me.
Helmet of Salvation: I am ashamed to say, (and I can't take credit for this phrase, I'm borrowing it from a pastor of mine) that I am a Christian streaker. Meaning simply, that I tend to put on the helmet and leave the barracks, so to speak. I forget to put on the WHOLE suit of armour, giving me minimal protection.
Sword of the Spirit: Even more ashamed to say that I all too often forget to pick up my sword. I'm considering taking my favourite wooden spoon and putting Ephesians 6:11 on the handle.
As for praying always? Sigh. With three little angels all wanting a piece of this 'mommy pie', I can barely remember my own name, let alone carve out time to pray. Except that I can, if I lose all expectations of a perfect 'prayer time'. God knows how busy I am. He knows my heart. So if my prayers consist of talking to Him while simultaneously feeding my baby, and praying for my family while the children are bouncing on my bed in the morning, or taking a decade to choose their clothes, or my husband is asking me if there's any lunch for him, and the dog is doing dog things, then I truly believe that He will honour my efforts. I have to keep making the effort, no matter what it may look like. Because in this season, that is my life. Kids, dog, packing lunches, broken sleep, dirty dishes, preschool, Bible study, church, finger painting, meals, and laundry. It's just where I'm at, and I need to perform each of those tasks in a spirit of thanksgiving and prayer.
So that's what I've been thinking about the last couple of days. Maybe I'm completely off the rails with this, but the fact that I've had a much more peaceful start this morning tells me that there might be something to this.
XO,
Sarah
The last couple of days, I've been reflecting on that particular passage, and how it translates to my daily life.
Breaking it down into pieces, it goes like this:
Belt of Truth: Without spending time in God's word, without clothing myself in His truth, I'm not surprised that my spiritual pants are saggy.
Breastplate of Righteousness: Mine kinda looks more like a clean shirt than a breastplate, but I can tell you that when I got dressed this morning, I had praise in my heart.
Shoes of Peace: Again, mine are more like sneakers, but I'm not surprised that we haven't had a peaceful household, because I tend to forget this one almost every day. Not today though, and it's showing!
Shield of Faith: I confess. Mine is an apron. But when I put it on in the morning, I call it a shield, and as I tie that shield around my waist, I pray for a stronger faith, for a more childlike faith, for faith that will shield me from all the flaming arrows (tantrums, bickering, whingeing) the Enemy can shoot at me.
Helmet of Salvation: I am ashamed to say, (and I can't take credit for this phrase, I'm borrowing it from a pastor of mine) that I am a Christian streaker. Meaning simply, that I tend to put on the helmet and leave the barracks, so to speak. I forget to put on the WHOLE suit of armour, giving me minimal protection.
Sword of the Spirit: Even more ashamed to say that I all too often forget to pick up my sword. I'm considering taking my favourite wooden spoon and putting Ephesians 6:11 on the handle.
As for praying always? Sigh. With three little angels all wanting a piece of this 'mommy pie', I can barely remember my own name, let alone carve out time to pray. Except that I can, if I lose all expectations of a perfect 'prayer time'. God knows how busy I am. He knows my heart. So if my prayers consist of talking to Him while simultaneously feeding my baby, and praying for my family while the children are bouncing on my bed in the morning, or taking a decade to choose their clothes, or my husband is asking me if there's any lunch for him, and the dog is doing dog things, then I truly believe that He will honour my efforts. I have to keep making the effort, no matter what it may look like. Because in this season, that is my life. Kids, dog, packing lunches, broken sleep, dirty dishes, preschool, Bible study, church, finger painting, meals, and laundry. It's just where I'm at, and I need to perform each of those tasks in a spirit of thanksgiving and prayer.
So that's what I've been thinking about the last couple of days. Maybe I'm completely off the rails with this, but the fact that I've had a much more peaceful start this morning tells me that there might be something to this.
XO,
Sarah
Comments
Smooches...love you to pieces.
as for praying, if you want/need encouragement check out this post of mine: http://arehselfstory.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-on-prayer.html
the quote at the end is the best quote i've heard in a long time!!!
*found you through the homemaking link-up*