31 Days to Holistic, Christ-Centered Living: Jesus Saves!

I am trying to make supper, but do not have the ingredients I need, Little one keeps jumping out of the tub and running into the kitchen, sopping wet, and I know that Husband will walk in the door soon, and being the first day of the new schedule, I want to prove to him that I can do it. I glance sharply at the clock, wound tight with my endeavors to keep to the hands that race so quickly around the numbered face.

I break, sinful, weak creature that I am, and raise my voice to my daughter and scold her for almost burning the cookies--her love project.

I immediately see my fault. We've been here too many times before--I know this scene--I've messed up over and over--too much to not recognize myself in the mirror of her sad eyes.




She had gotten everything down, mixed it all up, determined, and when I came to help, she had proudly held it up to me, beaming, wanting my approval. She had done this, this love-serving, to please me. Why would I scold her when something in the plan goes off course?

I go over to her, try to drum up some emotion, try to feel this remorse, to be connected to the moment with her, but it's too painful, and she knows, and I put my arm around her and say, "I'm sorry for yelling and being mean to you, you know?"

I know that I should open up more, let the emotion flow, share the gospel with her like I have before, about how this wretched mama needs the cross, but I don't. Time demands of us to continue our tasks.

My eyes snap to the stove's clock again. My head is spinning, like Earth rotating so wildly fast that it feels as if it's standing still, the thoughts running fierce and intense like an ultra-marathoner.



"Didn't I say I wanted to learn to live this holistic, Christ-centered life? Didn't I say I wanted to learn and didn't we make a schedule, Husband and I, to help me sleep better, wake earlier, be more present with the children, and didn't we say reading time for everyone, Bible at the supper table every night and I want to nurture and I have desires deep down to please my family and make them happy.

Isn't this what I've wanted since I first read "Stepping Heavenward" years ago and an idea came into my head?

That everything doesn't have to be blinking lights, screens, and fast food--that we can really be present with one another, really talk, really serve--offering it all up to God as a whole--every intricate part of our lives--this is what holistic living means. That we can live slow.

What did it say--the quote I read in Ann's book by bedside's soft light?

"I slept and dreamt life was joy, I awoke and saw life was service, I acted and, behold, service was joy!"--Tagore

When my fourth was born, the milk would not nourish her and she was losing weight and it about drove this mama mad and the post-partum depression went untreated, and has caused stress-disorder in my body, says the doctor. So now I swallow down a pill every day to get back on track.



I stand there feeling like the schedule is on a runaway frieght train, and I will cave under all the pressure. My neck tightens and my throat begins to close in.

This is why I stay in the room, closed off all the time, the voice tells me. "May as well give up; you can't do it," the black angel says from his perch on my shoulder. "No point in making yourself this frustrated and causing a panic attack and causing everyone to be unhappy too--you should just throw in the towel." His voice sounds like reason, like wisdom. It is true that if I continue like this, I will just get more ill.

I say out loud, "Oh God, help me." Shane and Shane sings "Burn us up" on the little player next to the stove and I stare at the flame burning in the lit candle, how it dances furiously and licks the side of the glass.



I drop my head, in hand, rub temples and talk to Him, thinking of those three brave in the fire, when the King told them to bow to the idol, to reject their God, how they stood in the face of imminent death and said,

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 NIV(emphasis added)

I want that kind of faith-to be brave in the face of death, to stare unmoving at the enemy of my soul, to say, "Burn me up" when I fear the destruction of my flesh, to not flinch in the storm of all the gospel might demand of me, what circumstances it might require me to continue to believe in the midst of.

There are martyrs who are dying for the cause of Christ overseas, there are orphans dying with no one to hold them while they are dying--they die alone. There is a child alone in the desert right now, wasting away with starvation. This makes me wonder why I can't have faith in the middle of my daily struggles.

Why do I listen to the deciever when I know that Christ has already conquered him for me?

As I talk to God, head in hands, the miracle happens: His presence comes and breaks me.

I sob surrender to Him.



And I know at that moment that this is how I start living this holistic, Christ-centered, offering unto Him life: It is only through the cross of Christ that has conquered my enemy, Satan, and because not only did He conquer him, but Jesus is here, with me, right here in my need, clutching my hand in the fire, in my desperate moment.

All I have to do is cry out and surrender to the grace pouring over me. To the cross I cling...moment by moment.





I cannot comment back on my site--Google has denied access-- in the meantime, please know that I read and bask in every encouraging word! Thank you for being here!


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