Welcome to the upside Kingdom.
Christ calls us to daily pick up our Cross of sacrifice of humiliation of servanthood daily
Serve people
Have our lives focus on the mission of the Kingdom.
Put ourselves last-
Make other people feel more important.
Take the last seat- as opposed to the first seat.
And literally give up every single thing that we desire and need in our lives for the sake of His will.
And that is something that I never really thought through until I became a mother.
You are literally losing your body, your identity, your sleep, your career.
You literally have to give up all of it.
Your entire self.
Especially for stay-at-home moms- you have to clean up messes that you didn't make.
You have to clean up trash that you didn't make.
You have to literally be the place of a servant for years- with no thanks.
All day, all you hear is crying and whining and complaining.
And you have to just do it all with a good attitude.
You have to do it with a heart of humility.
You have to do it with happiness.
You have to serve with joy and with patience.
Because that little human that you brought into the world - is watching you -your actions and looking at every single choice that you do.
That deep sacrifice mentality is something that I never had ever experienced before becoming a mother.
And it sounds great on paper to follow the way of the Cross and the follow the Kingdom of God.
But until you actually get to be in that position-that everything that you want, you don't get to do-
every desire that you want, you don't get to do and you have to literally give up everything.
Your body and time for the Love of this tiny human, and for your marriage and all those things that go into true God-honoring relationships.
This servant-hood agape love thought process is something that I have really had to work on for over a decade since having kids and since being married.
And you would think that after, being with the Lord since 12 years old, that I would be a pro at following the Bible- following the things that God wants and really understanding the Way - but this is literally something that I've had to relearn, coach and reteach myself.
This has really come up while
homeschooling for the last 12 years.
Now, I'm at the point where I'm like, “okay God, what do you want me to do?”
Like, I can't even have Ambitions anymore.
I am definitely a type “A” personality.
So it's very easy for me to make plans and have Ambitions and have goals.
Now since obeying God- I can't do any of the stuff I planned for my life.
It has been very difficult and very hard sometimes to do that and to really lean into that.
And I know not everybody is called to that life.
This is a radical form of living for our family- and God has really had to work on my heart the last decade.
It’s hilarious, that now when I watch other people's kids, (now I'm starting to homeschool other people's kids on the side or do after-school care for other people that don't have affordable child care)- that's the number one thing I hear is like, wow, “you're so patient.”
It’s because I’ve had to exercise that muscle of patience and servanthood for over a decade!
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So is there an area that God is working with you on?
We would love to hear!