What is required of you, woman of God?
(MUST read Pre-answer answer first…please?)
When I was little (probably 8-ish), my grandparents took me to a big circus. (Which is silly, considering clowns scare me …but I digress) I remember the cotton candy, the peanuts, the elephants and….the poodles. They were jumping through hoops. Hoops of FIRE, no less. I was shocked and horrified and thoroughly furious at what ever dope ever thought that DOGS should jump through hoops of F.I.R.E.!!!
After the circus, Grandpa suggested we go walk around “back stage” and ~GASP~ there was the dog trainer. (cue “bad guy” music) “Hi folks, did you enjoy the show?” I was polite, but I assure you the air was frozen with the depth of my fury. He gave me a rather odd look and said, “Did you like the dog show?” “No.” (succinct, but still…almost polite) “Really, why not?” BOOOM! The dam burst forth and out it all rushed, “How could you do that? Don’t you know that those are somebody’s DOGS? That’s fire and that could hurt them and and and and and….” (I will mention here, that a) my grandparents never did understand me, I think I was always just a bit of a disappointment to them b) looking back I can’t believe I said the things I did and c) I’m a dog person and d)the dog trainer was slightly bemused, as well as amused.) When the diatribe had been spent – he gently turned me around and allowed me to see that the poodles were jumping through the hoops on their own. They liked it! WHAT?!! They MUST have burned any living brain cells while they were jumping through the fire, because everyone KNOWS dogs don’t like hoops! But they did. To this day, I have one thing to say about this story…..
Woof woof. You see, I am just like those brain sizzled poodles. I LOVE hoops. Tell me what to do and I will do it. It doesn’t matter that it’s hard, you just tell me exactly what it is that needs to be done – and I’ve got it under control. I will do it. (Even if it kills me! I will do it.)
I can not tell you how many times I have entered my prayer closet and BEGGED God to just tell me what to do – I was begging for a hoop. “Lord, this child You’ve given me, it’s busted – it won’t obey the first time I tell it to do something – tell me what to do to her!” “Lord, this man You’ve given me, he’s busted too – he won’t change his mind to think the way I do. Tell me what to do to make him become like me!”
Hoops is how I approached my whole life. I wanted school curriculum I could jump through. I wanted relationships with my kiddos that I could jump through. I wanted a marriage that I could jump through. I wanted a schedule for my day that I could jump through. I wanted to jump through hoops. Hoops, hoops, hoops – give me HOOPS!! My Master Trainer however, didn’t have hoops in His plan for my life. He had relationship.
Relationships are…well, quite frankly, they can be a pain. Relationship means when I want to stay home where it’s warm, I go out for a drive in -3` temps, because Jeff wants to talk. Relationship means, when I’m pushing 21 hours of being awake and a child wants to sit and talk, I talk…most of the time. (Sometimes I fall asleep, I’m sad to say.) Relationship means when I have a ton to do and someone calls and says, “Hey, I need you to talk to my cousin, can we come over?” I say, “Sure.” (all the while cringing at the fact that my house looks awfully scary.) Relationships are costly, they’re a pain….and they are a reflection of the very heart of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Relationship means sacrifice.
Other than the brain cells that are lost during my jumping through fire hoops trick, embracing sacrifice just doesn’t come naturally or easy to me. In fact, I tend to run from it. Really, really fast. If I can do it without a great measure of sacrifice, then HEY, that’s cool, but throw in the “s” word….whew!
So, Julie, even though you were wanting something with more “feet” to it than, “Love God and enjoy Him forever” that REALLY is something tangible that we are called to do. I would say, it is our primary calling, with relationship to/with others coming in a close second. NOW, putting feet to that part, that’s a whole different post. 😉 That one I’ll tackle next. I need some sustenance first. This is hard work! 😆
Java Dawn 
Dawn, is there any possibility that we are long lost twins separated at birth?
“I can not tell you how many times I have entered my prayer closet and BEGGED God to just tell me what to do …” I see so much of myself in this paragraph. In fact, I have been doing some mighty begging just this week.
I have been begging for the “right” curriculum to use “ON” (yes, I actually thought “on” not “with”) my children, the perfect discipline techniques. I even have thought that if I could be perfectly organized to the “n” th. degree then my household would practically run itself! :0
The Father has told me that I am being lazy, seeking the easy way out, the magic pill, yes even the perfect prayer to say so that my home is transformed magically into the perfect “stepford” home. That is not the desire of His heart for His children. He desires relationship and values that above all else. And relationships are work–hard work.
Hurry with that sustenance, I can’t wait to read how God has worked in changing your hoop mentality. I know that He has something I can glean from your experience.
Not to highjack your blog or anything, but the Lord brought to mind this verse right after I clicked submit on my comment. Fitting for your title…
Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man (woman), what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Dawn – Thank you for doing this hard work:) I hope you KNOW that it’s making a big difference – you are serving us in a way that most of us aen’t experiencing in “real life.”
I think women (me especially) get caught up in the “busy at home” kind of stuff that we do have to do – the feeding and training and teaching and cleaning, etc – and we forget that the two greatest commandments apply to us still. Love God. Love others. Relationships. This was a big reminder to me this morning. Thanks, shug!
oh yes… this SO much I think 99% of women’s struggle… give me a list, schedule, SOMETHING, that will make it ALL right. easy, no less!! And it just ends up complicating everything without the heart in tune with God loving Him and those around…
you are awesome, Dawn… see? You can’t leave us NOW!! 🙂
Margie, my dear, you just hijack away any time you want. 🙂 As for the Scripture, it’s the same one Father gave me as I was praying about how to respond to ya’ll.
Shannon, honey, I assure you, I am THE WORST offender of “forgetting” (selective memory loss, maybe?!!) that our first call is to relationship.
Lest I give the impression I’ve got this down pat – let me give you a quick glimpse into a conversation I had this weekend. We were BUSY! (I mean B.U.S.Y.!!!) I called a child. They looked me in the face and went back to reading. I called them a second time. They looked at me again and almost unperceptably slid to the edge of their seat and returned to reading. I called a third time. “Soandso GET IN HERE!” At which time I proceed to rant and rave about the fact that we have been teaching them to come since they were infants and there was no excuse for them to not move when they were called THE FIRST TIME.
Jeff, hearing this “love fest” 🙄 came over and said, “I think there was a better way you could have addressed this.” I said, “You’re RIGHT! I could have walked in and slapped their arrogant face.” and I stormed out. Ahhhh, such a Godly example to my child, to the rest of children, who were all watching and now (lucky you) to YOU! UGH BUT, I will say, it took me all of 5 min to cool down, repent and realize I needed to get my behind back in there and seek the forgiveness of my child and then remaining family.
“Wretched (wo)man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” S.I.G.H. (At least I’m in good company.) 😉
I don’t know what it is about analogies that just get me–but Dawn this was a WONDERFUL post and such a true observation. Fiery hoops–a picture I’ll remember. I agree with Renee–you can’t leave. 🙂
Lydia, oh Lydia, 😀 Hello, dear one. I have missed seeing your lovely words. I will consider this as high praise, thank you.
ReneeM – YOU, on the other hand…hmmm it COULD be silly- you have been known to stoop to my level a time or two. 😉 😉 😆 (Thank you, my dear for your kinds words, as well.)