What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Thursday, January 06, 2005

What's in a name?

The Renaissance was (overall) a time known for self-indulgence, humanistic thought, and individualism. During this era, the focus shifted from religious zeal and abstract thought to a passion for the sensory, concrete, visible world at large. SO-why would I want my BLOG to represent such a paradoxical time?
Have you ever noticed, there is a good and a bad with anything? For example, (my favorite) Beer. There really isn’t anything intrinsically bad with beer. As a matter of fact, my husband and his buddies seem to think there is something very good about it. The misuse of such a thing is where the BAD comes in. My husband refuses to throw out the beer with the bath water. J In the sameway, we musn’t throw out the good of the Renaissance…and there IS good. The invention of the movable metal type allowed a broader circulation of materials to study. Translations were made so that laypeople could study themselves, thus uniting scholars and laypeople. Beauty, composition, prose, classical education, learning from antiquity, the discontentment of studying only one thing but rather the desire to become skilled and well-versed in many different fields of knowledge. That is what defines a Renaissance man or woman.
I have been given a great task here on this earth. One that involves so many responsibilities…one that could not be more rewarding and worthwhile. I am to be a wife and helpmate to my husband. I am to be a mother and teacher to my children. Within these two great tasks are many smaller, less distinguishable responsibilities, yet ever so necessary.
The reason I decided to name my BLOG Renaissance, besides the fact that I like to say it in a deep-throated, muskateers sort of way, is that I want to make sure that though my duties and delights are to my husband and child(ren), I refuse to forget the individual I am and the gifts the Lord has given to me. If we do not daily cultivate these gifts, they will not continue to flourish, will diminsh, and then will never be able to be sown. It is so important, that we as wives and mothers, are not content just to study what pertains to wives and motherhood, but that we study all of Scripture. Just because the Lord has given us a headship and a leader of the home, doesn’t mean we should be content to let him do the study and we pride ourselves in HIS knowledge. We mustn’t forget our desires, our loves, our hobbies, or our goals. Thankfully, the Lord gave to me a husband that sees these things as glorifying to him and Him. Before the Lord gave me a wonderful husband and a delightfully sweet child, He created ME. I must remember the good and the bad of this, and learn from both.
I want the Lord to use me to further His kingdom…not JUST through my husband and children (though primarily) but also to their children and their children’s children, to those who have or will enter into our lives through church, family, friendship, or even as enemies. I want to be useful in any way, in any circumstance, that the Lord can use me. I know that the Lord won’t use me by taking my duties and responsibilites away from my husband and child(ren.) He doesn’t work that way.
The word Renaissance means rebirth. I write this, not because I feel all is lost in the world of women (though that may be the case-who knows?!?!), but that I myself need a rebirth. Once there was a little lanky blonde girl-who could chase her brothers down, build forts, jump from second-story haymows, climb trees higher than anyone, but then could come inside and hug a doll to my hip for hours on end, feeding and changing, and cuddling to beat the band. I want to know the best of both worlds. I want my children to know the best of both worlds. I don’t want to be content learning and knowing just one little area of this ever-glorious life! I want to throw open the shutters and let the bright yellow heat of life penetrate my very soul!

2 comments:

Abigail said...

"It is so important, that we as wives and mothers, are not content just to study what pertains to wives and motherhood, but that we study all of Scripture. Just because the Lord has given us a headship and a leader of the home, doesn’t mean we should be content to let him do the study and we pride ourselves in HIS knowledge. We mustn’t forget our desires, our loves, our hobbies, or our goals."

My sister (in-law by brother Pete) Sarah and I talked briefly about a related topic on Thanksgiving Day. She recently was talking to an extremely intelligent and well-educated homeschooling mother about the benefits, if any, of sending girls to college when one result is the saddling of a husband and future family with school debts. The woman had attended a prestigious school and is not working outside the home; she said simply that the study has made her a better wife, mother, and person. Enriching one's self as a person with pursuits not overtly related to motherhood is not mutually exclusive from enriching one's self as a wife and mother. In fact, if not done to the detriment of daily tasks and relationships, these "side" developments can bring nothing but good to all areas of a girl's life. At odd moments, I sometimes feel as if I'm still adjusting to marriage and motherhood; I have found that when I do deliberately set aside time to read things other than fluff, to become more adept at what I enjoy, or to try my hand at new things, I am happier doing dishes and mopping the floor, not to mention living without elbow room in a town. (And I don't yet know how to do even a pinch of all that I would like to....)

Rebecca said...

Kindred Spirits!

You know, it is said that If we don't allow our mothers instruction, we show that we hate our grandchilren.