I haven’t forgotten about talking about masculinity and femininity, but this post is tangentially related. And that post should come tomorrow. Maybe. I need a date with my husband and that isn’t forthcoming until next week.
One of the great things about living in a rural area was that many of my priorities were determined simply by my location. I didn’t need to agonize over whether I had time to commit to a children’s choir because we didn’t have one. No fencing team in our small town, so we could stick with the more common sports or not at all. Then, moving to a large city, I’ve discovered that having hundreds of opportunities and activities nearby can be a problem.
Actually, it simply has reminded me of this fact: I can’t do everything.
If I want my child to be a professional violinist, I can’t also have my children signed up for sports, ballet, theater, choir, debate, spelling competition, geography competition, youth group, and an occasional bird watching expedition. If I want my children to be the next Isaac Watts, then they won’t likely be the next David Livingstone.
Even if I’m content just to expose my children to a wide variety of experiences, I still have to manage my priorities. When do they spend time with Christian children? When will they maintain their home based business, practice music, write in their journals, spin the cotton they picked last week while foraging for herbs? I know I’m getting rather silly, but because I have so much control over what experiences I provide for my children, I am forced to ask myself who they may be when they get older, how their God-given temperament and interests can be developed, and what experiences are likely to give them more open doors for ministry they may choose in the future. I have to weigh carefully whether the experiences I want them to have are for me or them. This is where our discussion about masculinity and femininity comes in.
Oh, and by the way. The same holds true for me. If I’m going to determine who I am, I’m going to have to exclude all the wonderful things that I could be doing instead of what is essential for my goals. There’s nothing wrong with baking a loaf of bread every day. I might do it sometime. But it won’t fit my schedule right now. Same goes for spinning wool. I have everything I need to learn, and it sounds very interesting. But I may never take the time to learn, and that’s okay. Do you see how every family makes choices, not only because things are right and good, but also because we cannot do everything?
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:14-17
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