Family/Marriage

Help, we’re being robbed

It occurred to me recently that society has robbed our families blind of one crucial thing: being a family. Well, that sounds pretty dramatic. Allow me to start again.

Hi there! I just wanted to inform you that because of the world we live in today, and the lifestyles we have all become so accustomed to, it is almost impossible to live the life God first intended for our families to live. This adds to our children being left to themselves to struggle in school, become sexually active or even molested, our marriages to start chipping away slowly but surely at the seams, divorce rates to sky rocket, and allowing the enemy to ever so quietly sneak in and have a seat at the kitchen table (we wouldn’t really notice because we don’t use that table anyways). Is that a bit less dramatic?

I have had the amazing (let’s be honest terrible) opportunity to live in many different types of seasons in the last ten years of my marriage. We have hustled with one child from 4am to midnight. We were young, four hours was all the sleep we needed. We have fallen into the ‘gotta have it all and gotta have it now’ trap with two children working three and four jobs while simultaneously racking up debt. We’ve hit the reset button and gone back to our parents’ house season. We have risen to a life of careers first, lust for money second, and marriage last (if at all) period. We have done the stay-at-home-dad thing, the stay-at-home-mom thing, full time student thing, struggling to survive and welfare thing…well you get my drift. We have experienced several transitions, stages, and seasons. And what I have come to realize is one very clear thing:

the enemy has got to be having a lot of fun watching us lose our minds and consequently our families through all of this.

Imagine, just for a moment, the concept of having a husband that works (during the day), a wife that is crucial to the flow and operation of her home but also has time to pursue her own passions, and children that we sit down and eat with every single night. A life of peace and not ever-present chaos. It’s a crazy notion, right? But why? The first and most important thing that comes to my mind is that bills are real. They visit you every month, without fail, and demand attention (maybe even more than your toddler does). There are so many families that simply cannot afford to see this happen. The second issue is that we have broken and hurting families that don’t fit so easily into this scenario. When people struggle, emotionally or financially, it’s not always at the top of the priority list of “how” they manage but “if” they can manage at all. And my third educated guess would be that society has really ripped this concept away from us. “That’s old school. Back in the day stuff. I don’t need no man taking care of me. Where they do that at, Victoria?” Walk with me through Psalms 128 (NIV).

  1. You will eat the fruit of your labor………… Woman of God, this is going to take some work on your part- physically and faithfully.
  2. You’ll be like a fruitful vine within your house…. Woman of God, at some point (even if it’s not in a stay-at-home fashion) you are going to have to get your house in order. All that hard work will be for nothing if you aren’t blessing your home and the people within it.
  3. Your children will be like olive shoots around your table…. Woman of God, your children are going to grow and mature but not in after-school sports all night, not in front of the tv, but with you around your table.

Granted, this scripture is directed towards husbands but look at how much there is provided to encourage us all! My family will tell you, probably even with an eyeroll, that I believe so much in this concept. I believe that God has called us out, as believers in Christ, to work our bottoms (my daughter doesn’t like me saying butts….don’t ask….) off to get as close to His way of our families operating as possible. As a wife, mom, and a child of God, I know without a doubt in my mind that trying to live your life God’s way can be exhausting, especially when the world is screaming something different at you. It sometimes feels like oxygen is being sucked out of you for trying so hard to do the right thing and nothing seems to be changing. Woman of God, I know your bills are calling. I know food needs to be on the table. I know your kids aren’t getting any smaller and you have dreams of making it big. These are not bad things. These are things, however, that the enemy will try to manipulate and twist to get your eyes off of what really and truly matters more than anything- your family, your marriage, and your purpose for the Kingdom of God. Do not allow anyone or anything to rob you of that. No matter what it takes.

 

Peace, Love, and Strength

Victoria Wilson

 

Social Share Buttons and Icons powered by Ultimatelysocial
YouTube
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Instagram