Wisdom?
James 3:13-18 shows that earthly wisdom is characterized by jealousy and selfish ambition—and is described as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. In other words, earthly wisdom seeks to promote self, above others. Heavenly wisdom, on the other hand, is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” In other words, the wisdom from God has a right motive, it promotes peace, it is gentle and willing to yield if it is confronted with God’s truth, is merciful with others and bears good fruit, and is impartial to others and authentic. It is wholly concerned with the glory of God and the good of others.
In the past two years, I’ve been so incredibly challenged by how much the world’s wisdom and mind-set can still rule my thinking. Much financial scheming (and hoarding!) can be labeled “wisdom.”
Just because something is labeled “wise” doesn’t mean it is necessarily godly. The kind of wisdom is the key. Both kinds are labeled wisdom, but heavenly wisdom is something entirely different from the world. It is as upside-down as God’s Kingdom–where the first shall be last.
It could be that heavenly wisdom could quite possibly appear foolish to the world. Right? For the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give to the poor so that he may have treasure in heaven would appear very financial un-wise to the world. To God, that’s the smartest investment he could possibly make. Do you see?
We faced this dilemma head-on two years ago when we considered selling our house and significantly downsizing. We had always been told it is wise for us to spend as much as possible on a house because of the tax laws that benefit clergy. Basically spending a lot on a house reduces our taxable income so we pay much less to the government. And yes, that is wise. But, we reasoned, wouldn’t it be even wiser just to give it all away to further God’s kingdom?! That would reduce taxable income as well! We battled through this and prayed often for discernment and wisdom, knowing God promises to give it generously! And He did, and for us that meant selling our home so we could give more away. It looked like a stupid decision to many looking on (and they told us that!) but Jeff and I are convinced it was THE single best financial decision we’ve ever made. So perhaps God’s heavenly wisdom looks different, perhaps way different, than even the wisest of earth’s financial advice. I’m still a Dave Ramsey enthusiast, but perhaps God’s financial advice would even be quirkier than Dave’s.
As always, what we need is to immerse ourselves in God’s Word, holding it up as a lens, so we can see clearly and discern His heavenly wisdom in our daily lives. Scripture makes it clear what the result of this wisdom will be: Peace.
{What earthly wisdom do you see at work in our world? Has any of this counterfeit wisdom worked its way in your life, your home?}
Week's end with thanks
- Mini-pumpkin pies with graham cracker crust and fresh-whipped cream on top. Oh. My.
- Dolloping leftover whipped cream on my coffee the next morning. Pretty much heaven in a cup.
- Family day.
- A date with my son speaking his love language: A morning, just us, playing Legos.
- Cleaning out the cabin!
- Throwing things away!
- Organizing every closet in our house. Is there any better feeling?
- House bustling with activity. Kids, couples, conversation.
- Trusting God every step of the way.
- Our dear, dear house-mate. What a gift she is to us.
- Paul & Pam Hunter. No way to convey what a gift their wisdom and truth is to us.
- The legacy of a faithful servant of God. 93 years old and still preaching the Word!
- Looking forward to Volviendo tonight.
- Provision. Miraculous provision.
- $1,000 “short” on our paycheck. God miraculously providing $1,000 to cover our needs. He is so gracious!
- The ladies of TCF.
- Sleep.
- Organic, local Fuji apples on sale!
- Learning to trust.
- Pioneer Community Center, RENEW’s gathering space in OC!
- Learning together.
- Grace.
- Friends.
- Leaning on each other.
- Faithful servants who wash dishes.
- Moms seeking Him together.
- Generous gift of Beyond Organic food!!
- Lauren.
- Danielle home!
- His Word.
- His presence.
- His patience with me.
- Oh how He loves us.
Have a blessed weekend, friends. He loves you. Thanks for reading.
Both hub and haven {The missional outpost of your home}
Sometimes my house feels like a train station. Between our community garden, house-sharing, life-sharing, and hosting a home church here for several months, you never knew who would be here at what time. I love that. In the book Missional Mom, Helen Lee talks about seeing our homes as a “Missional Outpost.” I love this! Lee writes,
[Home] is a place to give you inspiration and direction, as you seek with your family to discover how God wants to use each of you in His grand mission.
Rodney Clapp, author of Families at the Crossroads, writes:
Christians in our society must retrain themselves to see faith as no less public than private … In a real sense, and like the homes of the NT church, our houses must go public. Our call is to live not in private havens or retreats, but in mission bases.
Now, just as each of our secondary callings are different, so will each of our “Mission Outposts” be different, cased on our individual needs, gifts, family dynamics, and temperaments. So, just for fun, I asked each of the women these questions. Perhaps they may be food for thought for you today as well…
1. What kind of missional outpost will yours be? How would you want people to describe your home when they come? What qualities do you most want in your home? What kind of activities do you hope take place in your home? What kind of children do you want to raise there?
2. What gifts, talents and passions has God given you to use for His mission? Which has He given your husband? Which has He given your children?
3. In what ways can you include your children in activities of knowing God, seeking God, and fulfilling His mission to reach out to the world?
4. This week how can you use a mundane task to turn your children’s hearts and minds to think missionally and encounter God in the daily activities of life?
As I reflected on question #1 I realized my desire is to have a home where
everyone who enters feels at home. I want our friends to all feel comfortable dropping by unannounced, opening the fridge if they’re hungry, unloading the dishwasher if they feel so inclined, taking a nap on the couch if need be.
At the same time, I do want our home to be a haven. I want my husband to know He has a refuge, a place to retreat from the pressure and stress of ministry life. I want my children to know there is a place to rest, to sit quietly with a book and just be. So, I want our home to be both a hub and a haven. A place where everyone feels comfortable coming, a place where paths cross, a place that is bustling with life and activity. And yes, a place where I can unapologetically turn off the porch light and lay low when my family needs calm and quiet.
I believe this is how Jesus lived.
Even though He didn’t have a home, Jesus’ very presence was a home. And He was able to make it both a hub and a haven. He was always with people, always surrounded, meeting needs, showing love. And yet He drew away for quiet moments to pray. He felt no pressure and didn’t stress when He couldn’t meet every need. He walked with the Father, and so was able to be both a hub and a haven all at once.
I pray for that for our homes as well. I pray we would not seclude ourselves from the world, protecting ourselves with walls of isolation. And I pray we would also not overcrowd and lose the precious margin from our homes. Let’s pray for homes that are both hub and haven. A bustling center of ministry and life and a sacred retreat for the soul. Amen? Thanks for reading.
The Missional Mom
Yesterday morning I sat with some dear women and seven of our small children. The noise level in my little house was a force to be reckoned with, but as all moms seem to have the unique ability of tuning out chaos and focusing in, we maintained a conversation through wiping bottoms, serving snacks and soothing owies.
We were discussing the book, Missional Mom. Helen Lee’s message on motherhood and calling have put to into words what my heart’s been feeling and wrestling with for quite some time. I’ll let her speak:
[When we have children] the circumstances of our lives change [but] our calling remains teh same. We are still primarily called to know and love God, then love our neighbors as an outflow of that relationship. Our mission remains to “bear witness” and “make disciples,” both activities require our continuing participation in the world. The calling and mission God has for us remains unchanged once we become wives and mothers… Sometimes we replace our primary calling and mission by saying, “Motherhood is my highest calling.” When a secondary call displaces a primary one, the confusion begins. … I do not mean to devalue motherhood in the least. Motherhood is a critical secondary calling for those of us who have been given the privilege of playing that role in a child’s life. But we always need to put our role as mothers in the right context and never prioritize our secondary calling as a mother over our primary calling to know and love God” (23-24)
Now, if we aren’t careful, of course we can sacrifice the welfare of our kids in the name of “ministry” — that happens all too often. While we aren’t “only” moms, it’s true that the primary people God has called us to disciple are the little lambs in our home. But elevating Motherhood as the highest calling above all others is dangerous. We all have the same primary calling, whether we are married, single, work, stay at home, live in Cambodia or America, wherever we are and whoever we are and whatever we do, we are all called to love God, know Him, enjoy Him, worship Him, and witness of Him to a lost and broken world.
The reality is there will always be an endless list of “good things” we can do. And we cannot just say that all activities in the home are “godly” and all activities outside the home are “worldly.” God doesn’t make that distinction so neither should we. The Proverbs 31 woman was busy at home and outside the home. The bottom line is we must seek God and His heavenly wisdom. We must hear from Him. We must spend so much time pursuing Him and getting to know His heart that we are able to discern His voice and know His particular plan for us to fulfill our primary–and secondary–callings in life. We cannot compare or judge ourselves against each other. Before God alone do we stand or fall for how we spend our time as moms.
I pray we can be freed from the “mommy guilt” and the endless comparisons of what a “good mom” looks like. I pray we will make our decisions based on God’s Word, His Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives, and the wisdom of our husbands as we joyfully submit to them as to the Lord. I pray you are free to live the Sacred Mundane where every detail of life is an opportunity to know God and make Him known. Thanks so much for reading.