The "Music" of Life

For quite some time I have had it on my heart to shout it from the mountain tops that oftentimes scripture we read in the bible does not look like what we think it should look like.  Let me give you an example.

Ah, my favorite verse on children.  "Children are a heritage from the Lord.  The fruit of the womb is a reward."  Psalm 127:3

Can't you just picture it now?  A spotless house, neat and tidy children exquisitely dressed bounding down the stairs with smiles on their faces ready to greet you and the world with joy, exuberance, and laughter.  This is the heritage God is talking about.  Surely this is the reward He means to give me for having all these children in the first place.

Screech.  Hault.  Cut.  Scratch that.  Anyone with children knows that is not reality.  Even, if that scenario becomes a reality in your life, if you were honest, you would admit that those moments are fleeting and that it took a lot of hard work to attain them in the first place.  My favorite scenes from the Duggars are the ones where the kids are fighting or bickering or otherwise just being kids!  Following Christ, walking in the spirit, even enjoying peace in my home does not always look like Pottery Barn Kids or sound like a tranquil day by the sea.  

I've always wanted to put verses like Psalm 127:3 to music.  Not the beautiful, relaxing music you hear in spas and salons, but the "music" of real life.  What do children sound like?  They are loud.  They scream, they whine, they complain, they argue, they don't listen, they make messes, and boys especially, mostly crash, bang, boom, and bump their way through life.  That is the "music" that should be playing in your mind if you want to have realistic expectations about Psalm 127:3.

My mentor, who is nearly 70, talks about pouring God's word into your children.  She is feisty, bold, and boy, does she love teaching and helping women just like me.  For me, the most encouraging part of her message about getting God's word into your children was her description of what that looked like in her home when her girls were teenagers.  On a good portion of the mornings in their home, her girls would gripe and sulk their way down to the kitchen table making their case for why they needed to skip reading the Proverb of the day that morning.  Wow.  Doesn't that just make you feel better?  This task we have been called to if we are mothers will not come without opposition.  Think about it, a reward doesn't hold a lot of value unless you have worked hard for it.  Now, that is having realistic expectations.  Be encouraged!