"the person who would do great things well must practice daily on little ones; and she who would have the assistance of the Almighty in important acts, must be daily and hourly accustomed to consult His will in the minor affairs of life."
~Emily Judson (wife of American's first foreign missionary Adoniram Judson)
I read this quote in one of Elisabeth Elliot's devotionals on "interruptions, delays and inconveniences." It was something I needed to read. Raising little children is full of such things.
I'll be honest...I often find the cyclical duties of wife and mother tedious and frustrating. They become more so when I lose eternal focus and allow myself to be controlled by my own selfish desires. I want to get x, y and z done so I can read my book, sew on my quilt, etc etc. But, this is not the way...or the journey to sanctification that I am on.
So, I'm going to post this quote on my fridge for a bit...to remind myself that because I want to do great things for God and have Him act mightily in my life...I need to keep the eternal perspective that ALL things are to be done for HIS glory... alone.
And as a good, godly friend reminded me recently...
"Finally, [sister], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Phil. 4:8
4 comments:
I love that quote from EE, too. I have often had to remind myself of those things through the years.
Oh, I know how you feel. I often want to rush through the boring things so I can get to the things I really want to do. But I need to understand that discipline in the boring--done for the glory of God--is good for my growth...and those little things are very important. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh, I hear you! I'm learning this exact thing, about faithfulness in little thing, about listening to and obeying the voice of God in the "small affairs" of this life. Perhaps the big things will come, and perhaps they won't. But one way or another, a life of obedience in little things will make a great impact for the kingdom of God.
Faithfulness in little things add up to big things that can have an eternal impact.
I'm going to put this quote by my desk as a reminder.
Post a Comment