Proverbs 31

I have been compelled lately to study this passage - Proverbs 31 - with great depth. Perhaps it is because I am working so hard right now to balance my role as a wife and mother and employee. I have felt such a great weight in the past few weeks in trying to do all things well. I'm afraid I fail miserably every day.

As I read through this passage today - one I've read probably a hundred times, I thought, What Ev! Who on earth can live up to this? I was immediately discouraged, yet the desire to be this woman became greater and greater in my heart.

I circled and underlined several words and phrases. And although I don't want this to become a list that I must live up to, I do want to note them here as a reminder to us all that we are called to these things. I'm sure many of you feel the same overwhelming weight when you look at this list. I know I am not alone. But I don't want my fear of these things to deter me from aspiring to them. Here are some of the characteristics of a Proverbs 31 woman:

She is:
capable
trustworthy
enriching
helpful
busy
a planner
inspecting
earning
a planter
energetic
strong
a hard worker
watching for bargains (ok, I have achieved this one! : )
extending a helping hand
opening her arms to the needy
not walking in fear
dignified
laughing with no fear of the future
kind
careful
watchful
blessed by her children
praised by her husband
rewarded

Wow! What a woman. I want to be her so badly.

And on that note, I'd better go tend to the laundry. At least now I have a holy motivation when I put my hand to things.

Something Beautiful

There are so many things I've considered blogging about in the past few days. Politics, the current (somewhat sad) state of The Church, The Shack (no, I haven't finished it yet, get off my back!), the American economy. . . many interesting topics have crossed my mind. Perhaps it's because I'm in a bit of a crazy season right now, but I just couldn't muster up the energy to address any of the above. So today, I choose to write about current events as it relates to the Wolstenholm household.

Yesterday, Dave and I celebrated 6 years of marriage. We didn't do anything all that special. Just a quiet night out, shopping and eating without the little one. Please remind me to never again choose shopping for my anniversary date. Upon arrival at the mall, Dave said something like, "You going in Banana Republic? OK, I'll be somewhere else. Just call my cell when you are done." Incredibly romantic! We did end up later having a nice dinner and shopping together at Barnes and Noble. Ah, books. The thing that can bring any couple together!

Anyway, I digress. . . so back to our marriage. I think this year was especially reflective because all day I kept looking at Hope thinking, this life is a product of our marriage. This is what we have to celebrate this year.

Now I hope in years to come, our anniversary will be a time to celebrate me and Dave. . . that it won't have to be about our children. But this year, it seemed appropriate to dwell on the fact that Hope is a product of two people partnering together, enduring hardship and overcoming adversity in order to bring glory to the Father through something beautiful and living. It nearly took my breath away to think about our marriage in that regard. Even as I write this, I am gaining an even deeper understanding of this revelation and now my prayer is that He'll give us the grace to apply that truth to every area of our lives together. Our family, our friends, this unsteady and hurting world that we have got to reach out to!

I thank the Lord that He gives us marriage as a clear picture of His relationship with The Church. It's not always pretty, but it can create something beautiful if we, together, fight the good fight in faith.

Happy Anniversary Dave! I love you more and more every day!

The Shack (Part 2)

Yes. . .I am still reading The Shack. I know it's sad. I'm a new mom - give me a break! I am almost done though. I'm only able to read a chapter a night before dozing off, so it's a slow process. And then I went out of town, yada, yada. Silly me thought I might be able to finish it on the plane. Yeah right, not with a 5 month old on your lap!

So back to the book. . .last night I read the chapter where Papa takes Mack on a journey of forgiveness. Like I said before, I can't say I agree with every little theological detail but once again this encounter with God gave me such a sweet picture of our relationship with Him. The way He lead Mack to the place of forgiveness, understood how difficult it was for him to forgive, yet pushed him until he forgave because He knew it would bring freedom. And it did. It brought freedom and deep understanding of what God did in order to forgive each one of us. Such a beautiful picture!

I'm sure I'll be able to say lots more once I finally wrap up this story. But for now, I still give it two thumbs up! This book has been very timely for me. At a time where perhaps new motherhood, stress, and great transition has made me re-evaluate my relationship with the Lord, I have this somewhat allegorical companion to my thought process. It could be dangerous to put too much weight on that so I will not. But I believe the Lord uses art to show us small glimpses of Himself. Hopefully if we are walking closely with Him, those glimpses will enhance our current view of the Lord, not overshadow it.

So here's to a greater view. I really hope the ending doesn't ruin it. . .

Hope's First Trip!

This weekend we visited Minnesota to see Dave's family. We had a wonderful time and Hope did so well on the plane and also sleeping in a new place for the first time. She's such a good little traveler. Here are some highlights.

Oh. . .and FYI moms. . .the new whale tub from Target is awesome! It's the perfect reclining position for infants to lay back but not slide around. I already have a tub, but I think I may go out and get this one too. It's so much better than the traditional plastic tub!

Here's Hope taking a bath, performing her new olympic-ready gymnast stance, attending her first tea party at Aunt Jane's and lastly, sporting a Minnesota approved, monkey fur hat (which was completely necessary in the 80 degree weather we had).

Just Another Ordinary Monday. . .

It's just another ordinary Monday . . . I'm sitting here in my living room, watching my daughter play in her Baby Einstein Excersaucer. She beams with excitement with every sound and song. I find that I'm beaming myself as I watch her learn and get excited about doing so. I can hardly believe that I had a part in "making" this wonderful creature. I know I've said this before, but how can anyone deny there is a God after experiencing new life?

I never understood what other mothers meant until I experienced for myself the sure joy of watching my child learn something new. This week its simply how to grab your foot and put it in your mouth, but what the heck . . . it's still a beautiful thing!

And now she whines and cries. Oh yes, it's just another ordinary Monday and I think it's time for lunch.