Just Be Still

The Lord will fight for you.  You need only be still.  - Exodus 14:14

I made a social media post today about this verse, in relation to my children.  As I was posting it I had an analogy come to mind, that, of course, needed to be a blog post.  You are all welcome!  (All 10 of you who love to read the ramblings of the inner workings of my mind.)

My post read like this:  That verse right there.  Well, I'm working on it.  I've seen it play out over and over in my life, but I still struggle.  Somehow, when it comes to my kids, I feel justified in not being still.  In my lifetime as a parent I have lost my peace, I've argued with fools (I've acted a fool myself), I've run my mouth when I needed to be quiet, and I've struggled with forgiving people.  Us moms are all familiar with the "mamma bear syndrome."  What a lack of faith on my part to somehow believe God isn't at work fighting their battles, too.  So... I'm working on viewing all my "opportunities" to practice being still as "pure joy" as they help to grow my faith.  I'm working on seeing the little injustices (and the big ones) that I know all kids face as opportunities to learn to fight their battles on their knees.


While we all know the mamma bear analogy, I had a different animal come to mind. You guessed it... a cow.  We consider them good cows when they are protective of their babies.  And, hear me when I say I am not saying we shouldn't be coming to our children's defense when it calls for it.  But, I am saying there are times when we need to be still and let God fight the battles.

Have you ever seen a situation where a sick calf needs help and a farmer is trying to get to the calf to help it?  Meanwhile, the mamma cow is freaking out because she sees it as a threat.  She is head-butting everything in site, charging, and doing everything in her power to get the threat away from her calf. 

How many times do I look like that cow?  I am trying to stand in front of my child, head butting the threats all around and trying to  make things right.  Meanwhile, God, like that farmer, can see the big picture.  God sees the things he is trying to do in my child's life, but I am so busy charging everything in sight, that I am in the way of what God is trying to do.  I imagine him looking at me, saying, "Daughter, I love the way you fiercely love your children, but I need you to know I love them more.  Please be still so I can do what I need to do to help them.  I know better than you do."

It. Is. Hard.  That mom on social media who likes almost every single show post from the other families in our chapter EXCEPT my kids: I don't understand it!  And, I want to do something to say, "I see you, girl."  I tell myself, "Fine.  I won't like any of your show pictures either!  And I'll make really nice comments on someone else's post right after you so you'll see it."  Really?  Am I a middle school child here?  But, that is exactly where my head goes.  Every single injustice I see in my kids' lives makes me feel like I have complete rights to be petty... (I tried to think of other words to go there, but petty is really all I can think of.)

And, I have been known to be so petty in front of my kids!!  The things I've said in front of my children when they've come home and told me something.  Someone said something super ugly about my child in front of a bunch of other kids?  "Well... I bet she doesn't know her child....."  Is that the example I'm trying to set here?

Other things I've done well with!  I'm seriously a pretty forgiving person.  If it has to just do with me, I sometimes can't stay mad at someone even if I try.  But... mess with my kids? All bets are off.  How have I lived so long under the guise I've created for myself that it is okay for me to act like this just because I'm defending my children?  I am that Mamma cow!

Instead of thrashing around, looking like a crazy person, I need to be still, at least for a minute.  I need to stop and evaluate the situation.  Is it something I can solve by having a rational conversation with someone else?  Is it something that warrants me stepping up and defending my child?  A real threat?  Or is it something I can't control?  Is it just one of those things in life where there is absolutely nothing I can do to "make it right" or "make it fair?"  If so, I need to continue to be still and trust that God loves these people more than I ever thought about loving them.  And, if He says He will fight for us, then we can believe that.  There is no need for all that charging and head-butting I tend to do!  And, if I am being REAL, REAL honest with myself:  Jesus has called me to love EVEN those people who are ugly  to my kids. Especially those people, actually.  I can't do that on my own, y'all!  That is going to require a lot of leaning on God!

I hope from here on out I can paint a better picture for my kids of what it means to "just be still" and allow God to fight for us.  I hope I can be a better example of what it looks like to trust that God already has our stories written for us and He will work out the details if we just will stop and let Him. If we will just be still.



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