Slow Posting
May 8, 2009 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
I know I have been ridiculously slow on posting while Grace has been out of town. Hopefully this will tide you over until I get back in a routine on Monday…
Dominoes Everywhere from Jared Lyon on Vimeo.
Mark
May 5, 2009 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Today at Riv’s Text Project, we are beginning to read through the book of Mark. Here’s a quick little video summary of the book:
Amazing Grace
May 1, 2009 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
I don’t remember the last time I went a week without posting to my blog. In fact, I am pretty sure it has never happened…until now.
My last post was a week ago today.
I bet you’re wondering why…well, the short answer is this week I have been “Mr. Mom.” My wife (Grace) is in California with my 5 year old for a 12 day trip to help her sister out with her new baby.
When we first talked about her going, I said “sure..no problem.” She said, “can I go for a couple weeks?”
“Absolutely…I can handle it.”
Famous last words.
I have grown in my appreciation for my wife so much this past week. Her job (as a stay at home mom) is indeed a full-time job. She is a cook, maid, teacher, cab-driver, administrator, accountant, laundry-lady, peace-maker, mentor, coach and so much more.
The biggest struggle of this week has been keeping everything organized in my head. I am used to leaving for work in the morning and being able to focus on a single thing at a time (I am not a multi-tasker). But I haven’t been able to do that this week. A portion of my brain has to stay focused on…
Hang on a second, the kids are calling…Sorry about that–I had to mediate a little argument (I’m not just adding that for literary flair…it actually just happened). Go ahead and add “referee” to Grace’s job description. Where was I? Right…
A portion of my brain has to stay focused on taking care of the kids at all times. I have to make sure I pick them up from school at the right time and run them to practices and other events. I can’t just run home and eat dinner…I have to time it right so I can get it cooked (which I have missed a couple times). This week I have run medicine to school for a sick kid, run the laundry late at night so a uniform was clean for a game, coordinated many conflicting schedules and collapsed each night into bed exhausted.
Wow…this is quite a job.
I found myself drawn today to Genesis 2:18:
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
Many people balk at this concept of a wife being “a helper” to her husband but it is a great thing, a God-ordained thing. And don’t forget that “helper” is a word God uses to describe himself several times in the Bible. Basically, what this passage is saying is that Adam lacked something. His wife Eve provided what he lacked and he provided what she lacked. Apart, they were incomplete. Together, they were “one.” God called Adam to lead his family and Eve to help him–they each had equal but different roles.
With Grace gone, I feel incomplete. Not just as a husband and father, but as a pastor.
Grace is truly “a helper who is just right for Noel.” Her role in our family frees me up to lead and teach at Riverview. She may be one of the most important people at our church because she plays this role in my life. She is a great multi-tasker and keeps our house and family running like a well-oiled machine. That gives me the freedom to single-task on my duties at Riverview.
Let me add a little caveat: if you are a working or single mom, I am not trying to pour guilt all over you for the choices you have made. I believe there are many different situations where a wife can fulfill the role of helper to her husband in different ways.
I just think our culture poo-poos the job of Stay at Home Mom, and I believe that is a great disservice to families everywhere.
And with that, I have to run home to make tacos for dinner and then run Jesse to baseball practice and help Ethan with his homework. I’ll post this tomorrow morning…I don’t have time to hit “Publish” right now…
Tags: femininity, marriage, personal
