Sometimes I get carried away with everything under the sun…except for my family. My daughter becomes a nuisance because she wants my attention, and I forget to delight in her and in who she is becoming. My husband and I have numerous arguments because, well, he ends up doing most of the housework out of frustration while I spend more time on the Internet or my phone. I’m not a very good housewife or mom most days.
So when I read and re-read 1 Timothy, chapters 4-6, it wasn’t surprising that 5:14-15 stood out to me:
“Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity for the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned aside after Satan.”
While these verses are speaking about how to handle widows in the church, I believe that we women fall into these traps whether we are married or widows. So many things can take our focus off of Christ, off of our family, and when they do, we give the adversary an opportunity to speak reproachfully. We give Satan reasons to speak against us. I’m not sure about you, but I have enough negative self-talk to deal with without giving Satan reasons to speak against me.
And how do we keep Satan from speaking reproachfully against us? There’s another passage earlier in 1 Timothy that explains how:
“Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” 1 Timothy 2:15
Continuing in faith, love, and holiness keeps us from reproach. It’s easy for me to continue in those…but when I lack the self-control, when I forget to first minister to my family and to manage my house, it’s as if everything that I excel in flies out the window. Am I really faithful if I lack the discipline to constantly seek the Lord? Am I really loving if I don’t show it to my family in my actions? Am I really holy or set apart if I’m participating in the same activities as everyone else around me? Self-control plays a crucial part in making sure my heart lines up with my actions. Too often, I find myself lacking the self-control necessary for real spiritual growth.
And this lack of self-control, it bleeds over into every aspect of my life. From my daily walk with God to how clean my house stays. Satan often has his opportunity to speak against me, and he has reason to! I am thankful, though, that the Holy Spirit reminds me that God is still working in my life, that both Jesus and the Spirit intercede for me when I can’t find the words, and that today is not the end. He is ever changing me from glory to glory…
