Maintaining Peace While Raising Warriors… {Reading: Judges 3:31-6:40}

Don’t you love it when you are doing consistent Bible study…and each day’s reading seems to so perfectly align with what you are currently learning in your life?! That seems to happen so often for me—and today was another one of those days!

Some things on my heart today…and maybe yours too…

No matter how calm and peaceful I try to keep things…chaos always seems to happen—how can I maintain a peaceful heart amoung chaos? Oh no—I hear whining in the back of my mini-van (again)…not today Lord—how can I raise boys to be men who are warriors and not whiners? Peace…peace…I need the peace that surpasses all understanding. Strength…strength…I need strength that comes from only the Lord.

He who created the mountains…can bring strength to the weary…

He who stilled the waters of the raging sea…can calm my waters when I trust Him to do so…

Today the craft queen overbooked herself. Here’s a run down of our craziness simply to entertain you and to make you feel better at my expense;)…
7am – arise
7:30 – finish cutting out bunny ears (for Laney’s class craft)…P’s off to school with daddy carpooling (daddy rocks!)
8am – package the rest of the beads (for Parker’s class craft…making Easter story bracelets and scavenger hunt)
8:30am – Running around house looking for Easter basket for Laney. Where is my stapler? Oh gosh—the baby. Someone needs to get the baby up. That’d be me;). Poop everywhere. Nice. Good morning sweet baby;).
9am – All cleaned up, L-bird dressed…Frank just ate a bead. Frank is choking. Heimlich maneuver on 16 month old. Successful. Hug baby on floor and praise Jesus for working that one out. Race out door for L’s drop off.
9:15am – Hello friendly face at Dunkin’ Donuts…I need a large coffee, extra cream and extra sugar…yep–make it taste like one of your doughnuts.
9:30am – Off to P’s school. Frank baby taggin’ along unwillingly. Date with laminating machine for scavenger hunt.
10am- Meet another mom for scavenger hunt…realize I left red beads at home for hunt/story. Red beads are very important because they stand for Jesus and His love. We can’t leave Him out of our Easter story.
10:30 – Praise Jesus! We found red beads in someone else’s classroom! He provided!
10:45 – Office Max for last minute supplies for Laney’s craft
11:00 – Set up at Laney’s preschool…Frank is missing his nap. This isn’t gonna be pretty. Yes, I should have gotten a babysitter. Frank just put a stick glue top in his mouth. Got it out before heimlich number 2.
11:15 – Egg hunt with kids…no Frank—you can’t pick up the eggs because each has a child’s name on it just for them. Sorry kid…I should have gotten a sitter.
11:30 – Snack time. Sorry Frank you can’t have peanut butter…oh wow–this really isn’t pretty. Am I even helping here?
11:50 – Craft begins. Realize I don’t have enough strips of border for bunny ear cap…make due—cut them shorter…OK…so these won’t really even fit on their head. Make craft anyway. I should have bought more border strips for their heads. 4 year olds heads are bigger than I thought.
12:15 – Clean up.
12:25 – Realized I just remembered I have another child—Parker…whose carpool was at 12:00. Nice. Mommy not only blew it…but she blew it. Race out of school…heart is beating…Laney says, “Mommy, you shouldn’t drive fast, you could get a ticket.”
12:35 – Run in Parker’s school. He is sitting there in office peaceful and unaware. Sweet secretary says, “We knew you had Laney’s party and we understoon. Andrea, you have your hands full—please don’t worry about it. And when is our baby from Africa coming home??? We can’t wait.”

Ahhhh…Lord–your sovereign grace! And it’s just lunch time!

Does this sound familiar? I hope not…but some times no matter how much we plan these days just happen. Momma said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, my momma said. These were actually more typical when I was photographing part-time (why I quit) and I realize these days will probably happen more often with the more children we have. My flesh wants to say, “I can’t do this Lord!”

BUT…my God says, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

“My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Today was not about me. It was about Him being strong in my weakness. My morning was a flop. My bunny ears were a flop. (No pun intended.) BUT…I will not in my strengths but in my weakness.

Verses to encourage us in His strength today…

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca [weeping],
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.” Psalm 84:5-7

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“As your days, so shall your strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25

“Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.” Philippians 4:19-20

I have now…by coming to the cross…been made strong.

Amen.

Thank you Jesus for your redeeming work.

Which brings me to my next question and today’s reading (if you are reading through the Bible chronologically with us the reading today is: Judges 3:31-6:40)…

As much as my flesh would want to read today’s scripture and say, “Women rule!” or “I am woman hear me roar!”….or “Look what we women can do when men are chicken…” Ok…I’ll stop, I’ll stop. But today’s reading really makes me scratch my head and instead say, “Where are all the warriors!?”

I find myself some times today—asking the same question. I see many women being the spiritual leaders in their home. Many woman leading the band-wagon fighting for justice for the orphan…the poor…and I wanna shout where are the warriors?! But instead of shouting…I am humbled. As a mom, I am humbled as I drive my mini-van and consider if I am raising warriors.

Read today’s reading and process how the men act and women stand up.

Deborah and Jael rocked the enemies face off (literally). Deborah had to send for Borak and when she told him to go fight Sisera and call out 10,000 warriors—what does Barak say?

“Will you go with me pretty please?”

EEK.

Is that your idea of a warrior.

Deborah agrees—but I love her reponse. “Sure, I’ll go with you. But by your choice the honor of the win the Lord has promised won’t be yours. It will belong to a woman instead. You okay with that?”

Where are our warriors?

Later…in comes Jael, the wife of Heber. She brilliantly convinces the enemy’s leader HIMSELF into her tent. Fills him up with milk…he is full, tired and goes to sleep. AND then plants a tent stake right through his forehead and kills him.

Where are our warriors?

Next what happens…in comes Deborah and Barak singing a song. Nice Barak. You won’t lead the battle but you’ll sing the victory song with Deborah at the end. I just don’t get it. YET…the Lord used the women and defeated the enemy as promised through their willingness to step up to the plate.

My boys are just 5, 1 and…my Ethiopian boy—my guess under 1…yet we want to begin to build our sons into warriors NOW. Several years ago, we fell in love with this book about raising a modern day knight…

This is an incredible book (you can buy it here) that our family loves. It focuses on the father’s role in guiding his son to authentic manhood…not “Deborah or Jael” fighting for him and holding his hand as he fights his own battles…but from knight to knight…warrior to warrior…giving goals for our soon-to-be knights and using ceremony to mark their achievements of manhood. One of the most powerful things I have been a part of is when Richard’s cousin was old enough to receive his family crest. Tears were shed as we all read words of encouragement from our hearts to this young squire. And although at the time I just had a 1 year old toddler boy on my hip—I ran right out and bought this book and knew this was something I wanted to incorporate in raising our boys to be men.

So while I do want Laney to be able to fight when she needs to and to be strong as Deborah and Jael…I would also PREFER she not be put in the position to HAVE to do so. I want to be about raising my men to modern day knights…who understand chiverlry, protecting others, fighting for justice and being a warrior of God.

And as I reflect on this…on even a crazy day—remembering this goal changes how I approach and deal with chaos. As everyone was whining in the car—I was able to turn around to my 5 year old who deeply wants to be a warrior and say, “Parker, do you want to be a warrior?” Whining stopped. Tears over an itchy ear ceased. And for a short moment there was peace. I was able to quietly explain how it is okay to cry—but we need to save our tears for real pain and talk calmly and rationally.

Now…on to enjoy my very few moment of peace as the children have their quiet times and I read up on this knight book that was collecting dust. I almost forgot my purpose for all the chaos.

Wishing you much peace and wisdom as you love on and build into your children.

XOXO,

Andrea

P.S. I *have* to film some time this week my little warrior training for Winter Olympics 2022 (the first year he can compete;). It is actually crazy and hilarious all in one…and I have to close my eyes and pray for the Lord’s protection as he flies 60 miles an hour down our steep driveway on a coaster car without breaks. You should see the neighbors faces and the people who shake their heads;). {The teenage boys though…we catch them watching them through the bushes as it’s so nutty;) I know they want to try it…but it’s seriously dangerous and crazy!} The funnier part is…that our little princess is right behind him! A wise woman once told me who successfully raised 5 modern day knights that she was once asked about something crazy she let her son do, “Isn’t that dangerous?” Her response? “Absolutely. But isn’t there danger in everything?” So let their courage fly—and close your eyes and pray;).

P.S.S. We are still waiting for our FDL (favorable determination letter) to arrive from USCIS. We have been waiting for months now—and looks like the grand ole South is just backed up. Please pray this letter arrives in perfect timing—and for our hearts to trust the One over our process. THANK YOU!