Mama madness--another rant

It's confession time.  Since becoming a mommy, I have become much more fearful than I thought I could be.  It strikes me in strange moments...and it even surprises me.  Sometimes I feel like I'm a different person looking at myself in those times saying, "Who the heck are you?!?!"

Now, I'm not talking "crawl under a rock and disappear" fear.  I'm not talking about paralyzing fear, either. But I am talking about how I am looking at the world around me with a whole new set of eyes that see a lot more danger.  I'm talking about the fear (and the complete realization) that I have absolutely no control over what the future holds.  I cannot guarantee anything; sickness, poverty, pain, accidents, sharp differences in beliefs, etc. They can all come unexpectedly...like a thief in the night.

I totally know why this has begun to take hold in me, too.  It's because it's no longer just me that I have to think about protecting.  It's my precious little G-O baby.  It's my family.  Over the years, I've learned to be able to deal with my own hurt, betrayal, pain, and so much more.  I know I cannot (and should not) protect my baby from everything, but it's such a maternal drive to want to.

Of course I let her wobble over, take little tumbles, bump her head (today, actually), and learn by trial and error because she needs to.  I'm talking bigger picture here.  I'm talking about our society as a whole.  I'm talking about the direction our government, educational system, and morals as a whole are, and have been, going for quite some time.

I mentioned in a previous post that I'm trying to memorize the book of James (Bible) this year and I keep thinking about James 1:21, "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

My husband brought up a great question today.  He was listening to John MacArthur on the radio and the topic was the role of the Christian in shaping societal morals.  MacArthur's argument was that Christians should not become political activists because it's counter-intuitive to what the Bible prophesies and commands us to do.  Instead, our focus should be solely on how we live our own lives and in showing God's love to all.  Morals start at home, folks.

I agree...to a point.  Jesus is our example.  He did not come to this earth and march to the political courts demanding a change.  His heart was for the people.  All people.  Lost people.  He walked THE walk.  He imparted radical change with His radical love.  Likewise, because of His radical love, He stormed the Temple and overturned the tables because they were defiling the house of God.  This is where my personal belief differs a bit from MacArthur.  I don't believe that Jesus models a wholly removed interaction with the morals of society, specifically regarding their impact on the church.  When the church walks away from it's first true love (Jesus--the Living Word) and society persecutes the church (either implicitly or explicitly) I believe we are called as the body of Christ to rise up and boldly proclaim the truth (see 1 John 4:17-19 at end of this post).  In those situations, we fight back--with love.

God is Love (1 John 4:8).

So, back to my fear.  We live in a crazy, anti-Christian world that encourages self-gratification over all else.  It's motto is: if it feels good to you--do it now and don't think about the consequences  My fear is that my sweet G-O baby will be so disenchanted, disillusioned, and disheartened by this "instant gratification" deception.  More people are unsatisfied because they don't wait, work, and earn anything anymore.  More and more studies are showing that instant gratification only intensifies the bitter discontent that people feel, which leads to greater unhappiness and lack of fulfillment.

Sigh.

Now...what do I do with this fear?

Pray.

P-R-A-Y!!!

While I cannot control the world or what the future holds for my G-O baby, I CAN PRAY.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I want to close with this additional scripture from 1 John.  It kind of ties this whole rant together.  Radical change can only come from radical love.

1 John 4:17-19 (emphasis mine): 

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  We love Him because He first loved us.

Amen and amen!