Thursday Thoughts With Theresa: "In Which We Were Built for the Valley"

“We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God’s standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend…” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Have you ever anticipated something big in your life? Or maybe you’ve experienced what it feels like to become a brand new Christian. Or maybe you’ve experienced God revealing something in your life that has brought you immense joy.

As mothers of preschoolers, at the least, we’ve all  experienced the anticipation of becoming a bride and the anticipation of becoming mother. Two of the most glorious times of our lives, I’ll bet. And with each, we’ve understood that mountain top experience. And with each, we’ve had to come down.

We’ve had to come down to the trenches of figuring out how two people with two different personalities and two different upbringings merge as one. And we’ve had to come down to the trenches of sleepless nights with our new infants and temper tantrums with our toddlers; navigating the valleys of our own short temperaments, lack of patience and selfishness.

What happened to our glorious mountain top experience? And what do we do with the messes that seem to cloud the anticipation of a bigger picture?

Oswald Chambers tells us that, “We are not built for the mountains, and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.”

You see, all this ordinary stuff we do as moms and as wives and as children of God is what we were created for. This is where the real work happens in our lives. We may not see it or feel it when we’re in the trenches, diligent and disciplined, enduring and courageous. But this is where the true test of our spiritual lives rest. The power to come down from that mount and work out our salvation, work at our marriages, and to work through the messes that come with raising these children for his glory.

So dear moms, do not despair when your everydays are not ringing with melodic tunes. God hears the melody even when we don’t. Be diligent. Be courageous. Endure. Your work matters.

And those moments he does give us on those mounts will be all the more glorious because of the valleys we have encountered and trusted him through.

-Theresa Miller, MOPS mom

Theresa is a wife and mother of four children (3, 5, 7, and 9), who are embarking on their first year of homeschooling. Theresa has been involved in Sheridan MOPS for the last 9 ½ years, serving in multiple leadership positions, including Day MOPS Coordinator in 2007-2008. She took one year off, then started the Sheridan Evening MOPS group in September 2009. Theresa has published an article with MOPS International MOMSnext Ezine, in addition to other on-line publications. You can find Theresa encouraging mothers on her blog, Heavenly Glimpses.

Thursday Thoughts with Theresa: "When We Step Out of the Box with God"

I laid there with my face squished into my pillow sobbing that one turbulent day, three weeks into our homeschool journey, "Why, God? If this was your idea for us, then why are you letting this happen? Why is today so hard?" I knew without a doubt that this was what we were supposed to be doing. Although we enjoyed our children's previous school and teachers, the vision for homeschool was greater. So all I could do was wrestle with God over it. Then go back to my four children only to return and wrestle some more.

I was like a Jacob, who needed to be broken before I could be sent forth with a blessing and a new name.

There have been messy days in my life as a mother, but that day was the epitome of messy, wrapped and sealed by guilt. I had been brought to an all-time low and I just couldn't understand why God was allowing that.

And then, shortly after, I stumbled upon this passage on a friend’s blog:

"When we let God out of the box, he doesn't step out with a harness on and offer us the reigns. He bursts out like a lion and dares us to grab a hold of his mane and ride."

That was the answer to my, "Why, God?"

Because I realized that I had been searching for the reigns that day. I wanted a better handle on the direction and predictability of our homeschool.

Here we had stepped out of the box in faith, yet still I wanted everything to look tidy and clean in the process and he was letting me know clearly that there was no tidy little corner reserved for my control.

When we step out of the box with God we step out in pure faith, pure trust.

And it gets messy. And it's hard. But it's supposed to be that way because sometimes he has to break us in order for us to ride that wild lion on, what could be, the greatest adventure of our lives.

The very next day, I woke up to the "Hallelujah" chorus, I am sure. Because it was a new day and it was glorious, refreshing and filled with joy. I ached still a little from the injury to my pride, but I knew this journey had taken a new turn. We'd have our ups. We'd have our downs. But we were all in for where God was taking us.

When we step out of the box and say, "Yes," to what God asks of us, it may get messy. But that does not always indicate that our choice was wrong. God works in and through the messes of our lives to mold us and bring us to the places he has prepared.

I am so glad he has dared me to grab on and trust him for this adventure.

In what areas is he daring you to step out of the box and grab on?

-Theresa Miller, MOPS mom

Theresa is a wife and mother of four children (3, 5, 7, and 9), who are embarking on their first year of homeschooling. Theresa has been involved in Sheridan MOPS for the last 9 ½ years, serving in multiple leadership positions, including Day MOPS Coordinator in 2007-2008. She took one year off, then started the Sheridan Evening MOPS group in September 2009. Theresa has published an article with MOPS International MOMSnext Ezine, in addition to other on-line publications. You can find Theresa encouraging mothers on her blog, Heavenly Glimpses.