From Paul's Pen to my Eyes

I've been studying Titus recently with my Precept upon Precept Bible study. What a fascinating book! It's amazing how three chapters of the Bible can have such a profound impact on my life.

My plan was to start school again in the Spring. I thought it made perfect sense to take one or two courses a semester in pursuit of my teaching certification. Surely I was going to be able to raise seven children, take care of my home, be there for my husband, write my daily blog entry, and go to school. Yep, it made perfect sense...until I thought about it.

This is the passage that has been especially convicting me: "So that they [the older women] may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." (Titus 2:4-5)

Yikes.

Truly, I have struggled many times in each of those areas. Suddenly I realized that becoming busier wasn't going to make any of those things easier.

So, feeling that Say Yes to Me feeling, I called my husband and told him I thought school could wait. He was very, very happy. He would have supported me no matter what, but he was concerned that it was going to be too much. Rightfully concerned, I realized.

The thing is, having seven children doesn't give me the excuse to not do things the right way. Amazing that this was a new thought to me. God did not place these children in my life so that I would accept less than His standard. Having this many children doesn't allow me to settle for less, it means I have to work harder to be that young woman that Paul is describing to Titus.

So things are changing around here. Amazing how saying Yes to God about one thing tends to shift a whole lot of other things into their rightful places.

Paul's obedience in penning the Word of God in this letter is changing MY life almost 2,000 years later.

Our obedience can have effects that are just as astounding. All we have to do is hand the reins back to the One who has the right to hold them.