2 Months!

Mom, Woman of Faith 2-16

Welcome back to "Mom: Woman of Faith".  Each Saturday a group of moms respond to a question essential to our lives as Christians and Mothers.  It is our hope that this series will spark reflection and growth for all those involved.  Please feel free to add your thoughts here or on facebook.

This week's Question:

What does it mean to be a Christian Wife?

Nancy

Small Things

Simply put, being a Christian wife means partnering in the work toward achieving a Christian Marriage and Christian Family.  My husband and I took having Christ as a part of our relationship very seriously, even when we were first dating.  We strove for purity in the early part of our relationship and now that we are married we are committed to fidelity and true vulnerability with each other, things we can only achieve through Christ.  Although not perfect we pray together every night and are working to instill the faith in our young children.  It is our constant goal to keep Christ as the third person in our marriage.

Honestly, I don't understand how marriage works without Christ--or how someone who is not Christian could be a wife.  Marriage is hard work!  Not matter how cute, or funny, or sensitive or charming my husband is, being a Christian wife still require a major death to self.  I no longer live just for myself.  On our wedding day my husband and I became one, and I must always keep that in mind when I made decisions, big and small.

Finally, being a Christian wife means surrendering.  I surrender to not only the will of my husband (because I know this is the correct order, and I know that he will act out of love), but I also surrender to the Lord.  I really struggle relinquishing control, but I know that I will only find joy if I submit to the will of my husband, and the will of the Lord, who both love me more than I can understand.

Elizabeth

Yes, They're All Ours

A Christian wife is a woman who takes seriously her role to be a Help Meet to her husband.  Rather than attempting to control or compete with her husband, a Christian wife will seek to compliment and complete her husband, realizing that they are more valuable as a team!

If a woman wants to know what a Christian wife looks like, she should flip to the heart of her Bible and settle in with Proverbs 31:10-31, that infamous passage depicting the virtuous wife. This glimpse into her life gives a timeless picture of what it means to be a Christian wife.

First of all, because of her faithfulness to her husband and all her responsibilities, we learn that the heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and that she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. Because her husband is confident of her ability to manage his household well, he is free to concentrate on his calling, and thus he is “known in the gates,” which means he is a leader in the community. I love the fact that she is not competing with him “in the gates,” but is content to concentrate her creative energies in the home.

She is a diligent worker, which is evidenced by the fact that she works willingly with her hands, rises early to provide food for her household, and looks well to the ways of her household, rather than wasting time in idleness or filling her life with vain pursuits.
She plans ahead and prepares for the future.  She is resourceful and frugal, shopping around for the best deals, and she invests her savings wisely. She uses some of her skills to pursue a home business. 

Even though she is focused on the needs of her husband and her family, she is not blind to the needs outside of her home, which is evidenced by the fact that she is generous and compassionate and reaches out to the poor and needy.
Even though she makes beautiful clothes for herself and is well-dressed (in “silk and purple”), her beauty is not based on her outward appearance or charm, but stems from the inner beauty of a woman who fears the Lord. Therefore, she grows more beautiful with the passing of time, and her husband and children rise up and bless her and her own works praise her in the gates!

Sabrina

Superfluous

For me, being a Christian wife means so many things. It's about loving my husband, respecting him, taking care of him, helping him make decisions, and praying for him daily. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, I too want to bring good to my husband everyday. My husband and I work as a team. Together we make mutual decisions about running our household and raising our children. But I respect him when we have different opinions and love him despite our differences. Ultimately, I want to be a wife that cherishes & loves my husband, like Christ loves us. 

Barb

Family Soul Story

Being a Christian wife has been my goal for the last 34 ½ years, but I have a long way to go on this journey of LIFE and LOVE.  There are good days and not so good days, but always days in which I can grow more loving and giving to my husband.  My husband is the head of our house – just as Jesus is the head of his Church.  There have been times in our marriage that he has given me strong direction, it turns out to be the right thing for me.  With 3 of my daughters now married  - I am learning some lessons on love and obedience from them.  My oldest shares that all communication with your spouse should be life-giving, and that is something that I really need to work on.  All 3 daughters are very selfless when it comes to serving their husbands and children.  I know that humility is so important for a Christian wife to make the best of her marriage!  Even my daughter, Little Sister Hallel, who is a religious nun, has shared some beautiful insights with her sisters that are married – reminding us that our spouses are to be our Most Cherished Cross.  Telling us that we are called to embrace our Cross, and not run away from it because it hurts.  Through embracing our spouse/Most Cherished Cross we allow LIFE and LOVE to enter our domestic church/family, and find true and lasting happiness!  I am, with the help of my daughters, striving to be a better Christian wife…it is a never ending journey, and only possible with Christ at my side!

And now it's your turn.  Tell us your thoughts, or comment on what we've shared. 

For next week's question click here.

Be Mine

Happy Valentine's Day!! 

Instagram Sunday

We are getting snow in Minnesota. This is no surprise, and it's nothing like what they are getting on the East Coast. But we're hardy snow people here, so we just deal with it.
Today was one of those snowy, stay inside days. Cuddling with my baby, reading, making brownies, dancing with my toddler, and thankful my husband does the snow shoveling.

Speaking of reading, I just finished Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. Did you read it? I thought it was disturbing and messed up. If there weren't so many twists, I would've stopped reading it from the start.
I did however read a book that I really enjoyed, If You Lived Here by Dana Sachs. I would highly recommend it! Fast read, emotional, yet touching. There was a part in it that I totally lost it and started balling like a baby.

And without further ado, here are my Instagram pics for the day.  You can find me on Instagram @superfluousblog

Cuddle Baby

My View

Mom, Women of Faith

Once again, my friend and fellow blogger Nancy has asked me (and a few other women) to respond to a number of questions in her series, Mom, Women of Faith. This week's topic is, What it means to be a Christian Mom. Below you will find  my answer and several other moms' answers. Enjoy! 

Today we are launching a new series: Mom, Woman of Faith.  Each Saturday a group of moms will respond to a question essential to our lives as Christians and Mothers.  It is our hope that this series will spark reflection and growth for all those involved, both those writing here and those reading.  Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section or on facebook.

This week's Question:

What does it mean to be a Christian Mother?

Nancy

Small Things

I have been reflecting on what it means to be a Christian mother and I keep coming back the title of my blog, "do small things with (great) love".  This was the motto of Mother Theresa and although she was not a "mother" these words define Christian motherhood.  The way I show my children love is in all the small moments, which is what fills my day!

Although I often fail, it is my mission as a Christian mother to do all of the small things (laundry, changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping...) with great love, always believing that although the task before me is small, the love I show to my children and husband while preforming it is big.  Christ himself is a wonderful model in this regard.  He became man (something very small when you are God) and, without a doubt He loved greatly.

As a Christian Mother I delight in my smallness, and the smallness of my work, knowing that by creating a holy family my husband and I can change the world.

Elizabeth

Yes, They're All Ours

A Christian mother is a woman who aligns her life according to God’s Word, choosing to put God first in her life, followed by her husband, and then her children. She also seeks to mother her children based on the timeless principles of God’s Word.  

The most important relationship in a Christian woman’s life should be her relationship to God, which is only made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf.  All Christians are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  (Matthew 6:33)  By spending time with her Savior each morning and renewing her mind in the Word of God, a Christian mother is able to serve her family with joy and love.  She is also able to gain wisdom for her mothering, because according to Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.


The second most important relationship for a Christian woman is her relationship with her husband.  Children learn love by watching their father love their mother, and they learn obedience by watching their mother submit joyfully to their father’s leadership.  Furthermore, they feel secure when they sense that their parent’s relationship is loving and strong.  That provides the rich soil they need to put down roots and flourish.

Many mothers make the mistake of putting their children first and putting their husbands on the back burner during their child-rearing years. Most husbands don’t take too well to such a demotion!  However, it’s a fact that the needs of children can be quite overwhelming, especially when young, and a conscientious mother can easily become consumed with the needs of her children. Therefore, she must make a concentrated effort to invest in her relationships with God and her husband and to remember to make them a priority.

After building the necessary foundation of loving God and her husband, the Christian mother is free to love and minister to her children!  If she lacks wisdom, God has promised to give it to her! (James 1:5)  As she asks for wisdom and observes how God “parents” His children, the Christian mother will learn how to wisely parent her own children! There is much wisdom to be gained from observing God’s role as Father, such as: His mercies are new every morning!  He loves His children with an everlasting love!  He gives only good gifts!  He shepherds His flock, because sheep need much guidance and protection.  He chastens His children when they go astray, but gently restores those who repent.  He does all of this in love and with gentleness.

Above all, a Christian mother recognizes that she has a high and noble calling to partner with God in producing a godly family!  She should never feel that she is “just a mommy” or “just a housewife.”  There is no more important job in all the world than to raise up productive, well-adjusted, adults who love God and love others and will make an impact in the world!  

Sabrina

Superfluous

When my friend Nancy asked me to write for Mom, Women of Faith I was very excited. I thought it would be fun way to share a bit about who I am and what my faith means to me. My question is, What it Means to be a Christian Mom. At first, I thought it would be no big deal to quickly write out a word or two on this subject. But the more I thought about it, the MORE I thought about it; if you know what I mean. I recently had baby #2 and along with my 21 month old son, my kiddos are very young right now. So why is it even important to start thinking about what kind of mom I am and how I demonstrate my faith to them at such an earlier age? Because I firmly believe that at no matter what age a child is, demonstrating Christ's love on a daily basis is the most important thing I can do for my boys next to caring for their physical and emotional needs. If I am to be a Christian, then I need to walk the walk and talk the talk. This means practicing the Fruit of the Spirit everyday with my boys. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control. I have the choice in every moment to re-act either Christ-like or I can get selfish and do it my way. These little children will one day grow up to be young men, and I pray that the actions they saw me do, will help them in their own choices in life. I so want my boys to grow up to be Godly men, but how are they to get this way without guidance and direction from their parents? Besides my actions, right now I try to do little things with them like, read a children's Bible or devotional book to them, take them to church and Sunday school, sing songs about God and pray out loud with them. And of course, Pray for them daily! 

I am definitely far from from being Christ-like in my actions & words, and there are days I feel like I fail as a mom in millions of ways. But I love my boys and I know God loves them too. I am not perfect and I never will be, but I can try and show them how important my faith is to me. In hopes that one day their own faith in Jesus will be important to them. 

Maria

A Day in the Life of Military Wife

A Christian mother is a woman who sees one of her primary callings and “jobs” to be the upbringing of her children in the teachings of Christ. She attempts, through her actions and words, to create a culture in her home that encourages all members of the family to seek a virtuous life. A Christian mother knows that all things are possible through Christ, so she tries her best to never depend on herself, but instead to strengthen herself and her family through constant prayer and dependence on Him.

And now it's your turn.  Tell us your thoughts, or comment on what we've shared. 

For next week's question click here.

An Oldie But Goodie Link Party #4

Hey! My friend and fellow blogger Nancy asked me if I would like to Co-host a link party with her, and I said YES! Nancy is an awesome blogger who makes all these super cute crafts over at her blog. Seriously, everything she makes, I want to make too! 

So check out her link party information below, and be sure to check out her blog Small Things! You'll love it! 

Welcome back!  Here we are in week 4 already!

Thank you, thank you to everyone that has linked up already.  I love looking at your OLD posts!  I have to be honest, one of the first things I look at when I visit your blog is the date.  I love it when I find something from 2 or three years ago!  And, I have to be honest, I am a little biased.  I tend to feature the OLDER posts.  So, keep digging through those archives!

Before we get to the party, here are some FABULOUS and OLD Features!

As a lover of spoon rings, I couldn't resist this project.  I love this spoon pendant from Upcycled Stuff.  I am totally going to make this--I just hope I don't hurt myself in the process!

I am so happy that Etcetorize dug through her archives and linked up this "Pretty Tacky" project.  Easy, glamorous and both pretty and tacky (in the good way)!

Isn't this frame romantic?  It's super easy too.  Check it out over at the Moody Fashionista.

Hopefully this Embroidery Thread book from Adventures of a DIY Mom will inspire me to get my thread organized...Hopefully!  Such clear instructions that even I could do this!

And finally, aren't these hand-made gift boxes so unique and beautiful?  Check them out over at Simply Creating Home.

Thanks to everyone!  If you were featured, please grab a featured button from the tab above!

On to the party!  I am excited to have a co-host this week, my blog friend and real-life friend, Sabrina.  She blogs over at Superfluous.  we had the good fortune of meeting in a baby class.  She is the one who first taught me about HTML code...not that I really know much about it now!  She is wonderfully crafty and has a beautiful family.

Sabrina has been a little busy lately, having had a little boy just over a month ago.  But I talked her into co-hosting and I'm hoping she digs out some of her older fantastic projects to share with you! Please welcome her and stop by her blog! PS--if you are interested in co-hosting, let me know!  I'd love to have you! Here are the quick list of rules:

1. Link up anything (hopefully old stuff), but please link different projects each week.

2. Please link back to this blog either with the button or a text link somewhere on your blog.

3. Limit yourself to 3 links each week.

4. Please visit others and leave some comment love.

5. I'd love it if you'd follow along here, either by GFC, Facebook or Twitter.
6.  It'd be great if you'd visit our co-host and follow her as well.
7. Finally, any help you can offer in promoting this party, either on twitter, facebook or your own blog, will be greatly appreciated!

Are you ready to party it old school?