Life as a Christian Woman

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:14-18 (New International Version)

You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.
Preschool teachers around the world

One day I was helping out in my daughter’s class, and I heard the teacher say this phrase. I loved it, and made it my mantra at home. Whenever Emi wanted something other than what she had (I don’t want strawberries, I want oranges!), I would repeat the phrase above and she would settle down and deal with it. I tried it out in Vacation Bible School, and the kids there would accept that as an answer, too.

I didn’t really take it much further than that, but in reading Philippians 2 this week, I discovered that Paul said much the same thing to the early Christians at Philippi. He begs them, if they feel Christ’s love, comfort and encouragement, to share that same spirit and purpose. As the chapter continues, he reminds them to do nothing out of “selfish ambition or vain conceit” (vs. 3), but urges them to be humble.

However, the verses that stand out to me the most are 14-18 (see text above). Basically, he is saying that we need to just “deal with it.” And he’s right. So often we complain about such ridiculous things, when instead we should be thankful…. thankful for God’s grace. If we believe that “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28), then we need to understand that where God has placed us, whatever the situation may be, there is a divine reason.

So we need to get on with it.

So many of us are living on a razor’s edge these days. Our economy is bad and getting worse, it seems, almost daily. The unemployment rate is growing with no end in sight. My husband and I, like many of you, watch the news and worry…. will his job be safe? Will we have an income to provide us with food and shelter? And what of the world that we will be leaving our daughter?

But we also acknowledge that none of this is ours. All we have, all we have been given, is God’s. He freely gives, and He freely takes away. And He both gives and takes for divine reasons, and sometimes we don’t understand those reasons at all! But if we are faithful to Him, as He is to us, we can rest in the knowledge that He will give us what we need, when we need it.

These are hard principles to understand, and harder still to put into practice. I have laid my worried about the future on the altar of God many times, walked away and said, “There, that’s done. Now I am free of that worry!” But I always end up back at that altar, picking the worry back up and trying to carry it all over again.

You’d think I’d learn after awhile, but I’ve always been pretty stubborn.

So here is my vow for today… and although I promise I am going to try to stick to it, I also know that I will probably have to renew the vow a few dozen times before it sticks…

I will take whatever God has to give me, and I will accept it in love, as I know He has sent it in love. I will do my best to divine His purpose for my life and my family’s life in whatever He sends…

And I won’t throw a fit!