As
Mary posted on last week's Show and Tell, testimonies should be easy to pull together when we are asked to do so. Generally, every Sunday evening our church has a personal testimony by
someone - this past Sunday was my turn. I thought I would share the Top Ten list here:
Things I have learned (or am learning)...
#10. ...that my little blonde shadow (the Duck) recycles what she sees in me and sometimes it is really ugly! When I look at Matthew 19: 13 & 14, when Jesus is scolding the disciples for keeping the children away from him, I can't help but recognize that some of my sin can be passed onto my daughter and keep her from following Jesus freely. When I see
my sarcasm or
my bitter voice or
my scowling look come from Duck - it breaks my heart to know that I put it there and I pray for my own self control for these areas;
#9. ...how much damage the feminist philosophy has done in my life. I continue to learn that there is so much more contentment in God's way, James 3: 17 & 18;
#8. ...that I am never going to run out of things my life that need change, Ephesians 4:28
(let her that nagged, nag no more - let her that criticized, criticize no more - let her that manipulated, manipulate no more - etc.)#7. ...that the more I seek to change my life in ways that are made obvious to me in scripture, the more some people will disdain me, John 15: 18 & 19. There is another nurse that I work with who takes every opportunity to express her opinion of SAHMs whenever I am within ear shot. Specifically,
"anyone who is employed should make themselves available to work at all times - to h*#! with your families". Yes, you read that right.
#6. ...that everywhere I go, I am being watched. The other end of the spectrum when I work outside the home is that some staff members are genuinely curious about the choices I have made for life. One woman (non-Christian), who is my partner at work 80% of the time will shoot odd questions at me, at odd times. One day out of the blue, she asked me "do you ever swear?" (nurses are worse than sailors). Another day, she started a conversation with, "so, I've started reading the Bible...", and has had several questions about the scriptures since that time. Thankfully, I have been able to answer her questions about scripture or with scripture, 1 Peter 3:15.
#5. ...that chocolate is not the answer to everything...a very sad revelation. When I read 1 Corinthians 10:31, I cannot honestly say that I eat for His glory. In fact, most of the time, I eat strictly for my own pleasure. Because of that choice, I wear my sin in the form of too much weight.
#4. ...that making my grocery list during Sunday morning sermon is probably not the best use of time. I have been examining how I spend my time each day and looking for areas for improvement, i.e. do I need to use the computer everyday?, what time do I need to start my day?, is Duck getting my full attention during school?, etc. Ephesians 5:16
#3. ...to talk less and listen more, EVEN WHEN I KNOW I'M RIGHT! That challenge is the strongest when applied to conversations with my husband - but I believe the Lord has held my tongue for me many times. Ephesian 4:29; Proverbs 10:19 - which leads into the next one.
#2. ...to let my husband make his own decisions. He may have things to learn, too, but he doesn't need me as his teacher. Proverbs 31 talks about a man who can "safely trust" in his wife. That means he can tell her his thoughts and plans and decisions without fear of criticism or complaints - I want my husband to have this security in me.
If we look at the qualifications of bishops and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, it can't be ignored that the wife's behaviour is also noted - why? Because if a man is going to be strong leader, his wife has to stay out of the way.
1. ...that I can open
my bubble, even though I will be disappointed or hurt by those I let into my world. What brings me to this conclusion? John 14:27 and Psalms 62:5.
And how was your year?
