Today I read a busy mother’s poem from the Bible.
Look how Solomon describes wisdom:
Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
Where does wisdom cry out? In the center of real life: noisy streets, by the city gate. Does that sound like your life? Noisy? Chaos? Being pulled in multiple directions? Hard to hear or be heard except by shouting a bit? I bet when wisdom calls like that, everyone stops, right? No, not at all. Wisdom has to plead.
How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Remember when Joshua Bell played in the subway? One of the most talented musicians in the world played the most beautiful music ever written, and people simply passed by without a glance.
Isn’t that like wisdom? Among the most precious treasures of the world, and we mothers rush by our days without so much as a passing glance of its value or our need for it. Wisdom isn’t held in some secret place where only the super-spiritual or super-intelligent can find it. The problem is, getting wisdom does have some strings attached. We have to work for it. We have to turn from our own ways. It’s not complicated, but it is hard work. If we don’t make wisdom a priority, there will come a day when it is too late.
The sad part is that the rest of the chapter talks about people who realize too late the value of wisdom.
Stop.
If you’re a mom, you are indeed busy, but you must still take time for wisdom. Take a deep breath. Find passages that cause you to rest in Christ. It doesn’t have to be first thing in the morning. It doesn’t even have to be when everyone is sleeping.
When you have small babies, it can be a challenge to find that time. You might have been able at one time to spend large blocks of time with God, and might be holding out for that same corner of your day. You might have to readjust your expectations. I think the first years of my children’s lives, I spent months just reading Psalms and Proverbs and parts of Isaiah. I felt guilty that I wasn’t studying new things– I was reading those passages that I already knew and loved and helped me think right. Sometimes I had to admit that I was wasting time on the computer and complaining about not having time to read my Bible. For me, naptime was better than early morning (and I, a morning person!), and breakfast worked well. Sometimes I read the Bible while the children were taking their baths! I learned that listening to the Bible being read was helpful in maintaining a train of thought (and sometimes it wasn’t). Sometimes I ended up frustrated because I couldn’t seem to ever read two sentences without some distraction (and I am very distractible). Was the time wasted? I don’t think so, even though I often thought it was. Wisdom says to incline our ears, and that’s what I was doing.
What’s important is not merely what you read or when; the first step is that you stop and listen.
The day will come when you have more quiet time to read. You’ll know then if you were really too busy for wisdom, or just not caring to take the time for it.That’s a convicting thought for me. My children are more independent now. I can actually read my Bible in the mornings, and not be too distracted. (then again, maybe I’ve learned to read while they’re playing) Today I’m praying for my sisters who have little ones, that they will find rest today.
Thanks for penning this. A very timely reminder, especially in this season of motherhood for me. I often feel guilty that I’m not keeping up even with what others are learning in church etc. May the Word of God dwell in us richly as we minister to our children.