The Yoke

It seems funny & weird & awesome when I KNOW that God is talking to me, teaching me & leading me. This week, for instance... I went to Bible study where we were talking about

Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Well, we live in a small, farming community and our church consists of many wise farmers. So the discussion went into a yoke, how to train a young, wild horse by putting it in a yoke with a steady, older horse. As I was sitting there, I was thinking of myself & how pointless it is to dance around in a frenzy & get all worked up over things, when I'm attached to Old Faithful, Jesus, who's not budging. He's steady & strong & carrying most of the weight.

Then I started to think about my children and how that same principle,

the yoke, can be used when training them.

Slow & steady. A little bit at a time.

Keeping them next to me. Calm, cool & collected. In control.

THEN, I came home, got every one in bed, read for a little bit, checked my email & read a post from Simply Charlotte Mason that read...

Help Strengthen the Will

When I learned this principle, it changed the way I looked at my child. I had been thinking that my child had a strong will, and it was my job to dig in my heels and butt heads with her to show that my will was stronger. I was my child’s opponent in the battle of the wills.

But once I understood this principle, I suddenly realized that she did not have a strong will—one that had enough power to choose what was right even when she wanted what was wrong. She had a weak will that constantly chose the easy path of “I want.” It was my job to help her strengthen her will to be able to choose what was right, even when she didn’t want what was right. I was not her opponent; I needed to be her coach.

Then, I read this...

Last week we discovered that, according to Charlotte Mason, what we often call a strong-willed child is really a child with a weak will. Today let’s talk a little about how to help our children develop strong wills that can choose to do what is right even when they don’t feel like doing it.

I grew up around horses, and I distinctly remember my father warning me about letting my pony run to the barn at the end of a ride. “It will get into the habit of running to the barn,” he cautioned. “And soon you won’t be able to control it.”

Once when I was visiting some friends, we took some of their horses out for a ride. After a while we turned back for home, and I found out how scary an out-of-control horse can be. As soon as the horse I was riding saw the barn, it took off. It didn’t matter how hard I pulled on the reins or tried to turn its head. That horse was going where it wanted, and I had no way to stop it.

Okay, Jesus. I get it. Take your yoke upon me.

Rest.

Be cool. Be calm. Be in control. I get it.

I love that my Lord & Savior delights in me and

is carrying my burden as we walk along this journey.

Jesus is personal! Jesus is alive! Jesus is God!

In His Grip,

Laura

Why "Uncommon"?

"Our Uncommon Life", this concept was birthed from the song "Uncommon" by Greg Long. Daniel & I were sitting at the park for "Praise On The Bay", enjoying the sun and our family. We'd just found out we were expecting our 7th blessing and we were a little overwhelmed, to say the least. This young, country style college band got up to play. And they played this song. The goose bumps and tears came simultaneously. See, I've never really wanted to be different. I was the wall flower who just wanted to fit in. It didn't work. Fast forward to today. I'm older, but I still struggle with being accepted. Daniel doesn't care, which makes it worse for me... But, God is faithful and He is working on my heart and helping me to stand tall and be bold and honest.
We have 7 children, can't hide that & wouldn't want to. But, it is "uncommon" and the questions & comments are often, like every time we go out in public. "Wow, you've really got your hands full!" or "Don't you know how that happens?" are common statements FROM TOTAL STRANGERS. I'm not complaining! It helps me to have an answer for my faith, to be bold & honest about what a blessing these little ones are. But at the same time, I have to be very careful that I don't answer with an arrogant, pious tone because let's be honest. Our oldest, Ryan, Kathryn & Rosalie are from my first marriage. Gabriel was who brought us together, Lukasz & Anya made our heads spin. It wasn't until we heard a sermon by Voddie Baucham "Family Driven Faith" about the absolute blessing of children, that we repented of our attitude about children and received our blessing, Izabella, 11 months later.
So, when I say "Our Uncommon Life", I don't mean better, just different. That song reflects my heart... I'm ready to be different, wanting to stand out for HIS glory, not my own. Lord knows that we can do NOTHING without HIM!!! If there was any doubt of that, all I have to do is think about who we were before Jesus came and rescued us!
This is only the beginning...

In His Grip,
Laura