From "stepping heavenward"
My friend Kate wrote a quote from Mrs E. Prentiss' "Stepping Heavenward" a few weeks ago which inspired me to pick it up and re-read it. What a treasure. From today's reading:
"You think then," I said while my heart died within me, "that husband and children are obstacles in our way and hinder our getting near to Christ?"
"Oh, no!" she cried. "God never gives us hindrances. On the contrary, He means, in making us wives and mothers, to put us into the very conditions of holy living."
What an encouraging and challenging thought, especially since we so often hear too much of 1 Corinthians 7 one-sidedly applied to say that full-fledged service to God belongs only to the unmarried. As my toddler currently lies in her bed, shouting for the second hour in a row in protest to her nap - I feel His chisel on me: "Be patient. Love her and shape her in the way she should go. Do not be angry. Love her the way I love you."
"You think then," I said while my heart died within me, "that husband and children are obstacles in our way and hinder our getting near to Christ?"
"Oh, no!" she cried. "God never gives us hindrances. On the contrary, He means, in making us wives and mothers, to put us into the very conditions of holy living."
What an encouraging and challenging thought, especially since we so often hear too much of 1 Corinthians 7 one-sidedly applied to say that full-fledged service to God belongs only to the unmarried. As my toddler currently lies in her bed, shouting for the second hour in a row in protest to her nap - I feel His chisel on me: "Be patient. Love her and shape her in the way she should go. Do not be angry. Love her the way I love you."
posted by Bronwyn at 2:42 pm
2 Comments:
Very encouraging. I think I need to re-pick that book up. One of my very favorites. I am sorry Teg didn't sleep... <:-\ The only quote I remember from the book is one I still think of nearly every day, something to the effect of: "Oh if we could only conceive how much He loves us, what different creatures we would be!"
That book made me want to be different.It was a borrowed copy - I must find one! And what gorgeous chubby legs that son of yours has. I'll guess that you are pretty skinny at the moment from all that feeding! xxx
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