Human Being or Human Doing?

I found myself looking at my life and laughing. There was a time in my life where the more I had going on, the happier I was. I loved the stress of it all. Going to school full-time for my masters, living and working at a bed and breakfast, and serving at a church part-time was thrilling! Of course, that was before children, but alongside of my faithful husband.

Over our last term overseas, I became overwhelmed with so much to do and not enough time in the day to do it all. I sought to know what my priorities needed to be. I was lead to Titus 2:3-5.
    "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they 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, that the word of God may not be dishonored."
I was not crazy about realizing that in my local area, I am very much the older woman, whether literally by age among others like me or older in terms of faith compared to my sisters in Faith here. I want so much to be mentored myself , but I realized that my times away from our town gave me opportunity to be mentored. However, in this place, I am to be the older woman. The way to do that is by actually loving my husband and children and being that sensible worker at home. Being the older woman was way more responsibility than I really wanted, but I knew that was what I was created to be. So I gave more emphasis to being a wife and being the mom!

Since we have returned last year, my responsibilities have increased. We have two wonderful young ladies here who God has gifted in different ways and yet has called here at the same time to serve Him. What a blessing these ladies are to me! Serving as language mentor and assisting my husband in their supervision, brings extra responsibilities. I would find it very easy to slip into that old mentality of doing, doing, doing were it not for the time The Lord spent teaching me about loving my husband and my children.

I am currently reading a book called Be the Mom. It is a reminder to do that very thing. Be the wife! Be the Mom! Be rather than just merely check off the to do list. This week I had a choice to make. On day 7 of the 8 days my husband was out of town, I found myself worn out and all the kids were emotional. It was one of those days that you are just hoping to make it to bed time. I could have sent them all to bed with all of us so worn out. Instead I made the choice to read a book, an autobiography of John Newton, with them before bed that I had begun reading last weekend. What a precious time! I am so glad that I chose to end the day with my children cuddled up to me, rather than getting them to bed as quickly as I could. I do not always make the right choice, but that day I did and was so rewarded for it.

We are to be human beings rather than human doings. Let us remember to be more than do!