It's not about breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and the like....

I was privileged to hold a good, uplifting conversation with a friend this morning to help ease my hormonal mind and let the glimmering beams of compassion and understanding come flooding into my heart.

Honestly, I am human. I have flesh, just like everyone else. I am prone to take offense, I am prone to see a guilty verdict where none was intended, and I am definitely prone to letting my lips fly before I think about how the other person must be feeling. That being said, I do also have my convictions, and I will share those convictions, and defend them when called for as well. BUT, I have learned enough about the grace of Christ to know that my convictions are simply that: MY convictions. I do not expect ANYONE to live up to my convictions. Sin is a different story, I will unashamedly call out sin all day long, but convictions are a different story. Convictions are areas of life that Christ has called my husband and I to outside of the realm of sins, and it is personal ground.

Some of these convictions include welcoming children into our lives without seeking to actively hinder God's sacred process of timing of conception, wearing modest skirts, covering my head during prayer, and staying home to raise and educate my children.

There are other convictions too, that I believe are a bit "lesser" spiritually, but no less important in my heart. These are mostly research based and include the topics of breastfeeding, cloth diapering, non-vaccination, and non-circumcision.

~*~

That being said: in every waking moment I am reminded that it's not about my convictions. At least not when it comes to others. I stopped trying to win people over to my convictions a long time ago, because it's not about that. God cares only about sin, and where someone is not in sin, it is not my job to attempt to "correct" them to walk as I would walk.

While we are saved UNTO good works by the Spirit working in us for God's glory, it is not our works that God the Father sees when He looks at us. A Pastor once said, in truth I believe, that when the Father looks at us, He doesn't see us or our works; He sees the face of His only begotten Son and His finished work on the cross. The Blood that has redeemed and justified us is the covering of righteousness that our Father in Heaven sees when He looks upon our face.

If that isn't humbling, I don't know what is. It's not about US, it's about Jesus.

Photo Credit: http://www.nashvillescene.com/binary/bccf/1314071557-easter-cross.jpg

 This does not excuse walking contrary to the Spirit or the love that we are called to bear, thus, fulfilling the Law of Christ, but it gives us rather a new motivation. When we know that it is not our works that the Father sees, it inspires us to work to glorify Christ and uplift Him in our lives, rather than to seek for God to pat us on the back and tell us that we are doing a good job and to keep up the good work.

It's not about us, It's not about ME! It's all about HIM! Christ, our LORD and risen Savior! Our mediator between men and the Father, our sacrificed Lamb to atone for the sins of the world, that whosoever would believe may walk in righteousness and look forward to an eternity in Heaven, basking in the eternal Light of the Father.

So, you see, it's not about who wears pants and who doesn't. It's not about who chooses to breastfeed or to cloth diaper, and the circumcision of the flesh will not be remembered in eternity. Intention of the heart will be, but these temporal things will pass away. They don't matter one iota to God in the long run, only your intent matters: whether you are seeking Christ in everything or seeking to conform to and please the world.

Its not about breastfeeding, cloth diapering, government assistance or skirts. While each have their own issues and benefits, It's not about that at all.

In mothering, it's about loving your child and training them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Whether you choose public school, private school, or homeschool to do that, that is your choice. What you feed your baby or put on his little hiney won't matter one single bit compared to the impression that you will have on his precious soul, and his soul is what matters in eternity, not his flesh.

In feminine modesty, it is about seeking to glorify the Lord in apparel and appearance, as to not tempt others into the sins of the flesh. Whether you do that in pants, skirts, or dresses is relative and matters not in eternity as much as the intention of the heart does.

I would never seek to imply otherwise.

BUT if God is calling you to a conviction, do not deny that calling in favor of the world. Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19. ALWAYS seek to rise to the Spirit's call on your life, independent of the world and the opinions surrounding you.

My preacher says a lot that there are commentators in this world, and they have their place, but just remember, at the end of the day, that's all they are: Common Taters. No commentary can replace the Word of God and the calling of the Spirit.

I am nothing. I am no one. I have nothing to offer for my own defense aside from the Blood of Christ that so mercifully and graciously covers my sins, and which has since the moment I first believed.

Never would I consciously seek to condemn another, or make another feel bad about their convictions that are not under sin. I will share my convictions openly, but I will never seek to tell another one how they must live their life. It's not about measuring up to MY standards, but rather about measuring up to God's standards.

It's not about me, and I would never want it to be.

Please forgive me now, if I have ever come across as such that I do not desire to be. It is not my intentions at all.

I implore all to seek to see only what is said, and not any supposed intent behind words. I am honest when I say that I say what I mean, and mean what I say. I will never hind malicious intent behind letters of black and white. That is not my heart, and it is sinful as well. Too many people are hurt daily by people reading more into what is there than there actually is meant to be.

Seek the Lord first, and all else will fall into place.

For his glory alone,