Quick, grab this moment

Before it fades away

Don’t let yourself forget

How you felt that day.

The restless tug at your heart

The way your chest went tight

At those words, “He’s gone.”

No, this isn’t right.

Here today, gone today

No wonder that denial

Is how we all respond to death

For the first little while.

Call it shock or disbelief

Or astonishment you might

But they are all expressions

That something is not right.

As time goes on, we move along

From denying to accepting.

This is good, and we should

But there’s something worth remembering.

Yes, let a trace of your shock

Linger in the light

Of your journeys forward

That something is not right.

Something is not right about

Life that ends in death

‘Creation was not always cursed’

You hear in whispered breath.

The whispers become clearer

As you open up God’s Word

And yet returns your shock

As you read what next occurred.

Your sin-cursed world and agony

Were not lost on your Creator

Promises were made and kept

And fulfilled in an unlikely Saviour.

God himself! He came to us

To finally reconcile

That feeling that each death evokes

That feeling of denial.

In the greatest of all ironies

His perfect life at its height

Jesus laid his down for us

Could this be right?

But carry on towards his tomb

It’s the one that’s filled with light

He rose again!  Conquered death!

Ah, this is what feels right.  

And now dead hearts hear his voice

And they too are made alive

Their bodies only laid in graves

For the blinking of an eye.

So, again, I ask you

To keep denial’s trace in sight

So long as it reminds you

That one day all will be right

By Lydia Mangwathe

The post Redemption of Denial appeared first on Proverbs 31.

In the garden before the fall.

We had no lack

Before we went off track.

Naked yet felt no shame,

Because innocence defined our frame.

The presence of God, O wonderful sweetness!

His voice filled with love and tenderness.

He made it all,

In beauty – all great and small.

From the fish that swarmed the seas,

To the birds that flew with ease,

All creatures that crept on the ground,

To the cattle and beasts that he made to abound.

Man, who was made in His image and likeness

Was to care for it all in kindness.

We heard him call,

But His tender love we could not recall.

Fear and dread filled our mind

As we sought for a tree to hide behind.

He said we could eat, but not from that one

Or death would surely come.

But beguiled by the serpent’s crafty entice,

We exchanged God’s truth for a lie.

We heard mercy call

From the One whose authority is above all;

The Son of God, full of truth and grace,

He came and showed us God’s embrace.

Although we were by nature children of wrath,

He died to bring us onto the right path.

Sinless and righteous, yet took upon Himself our shame,

He bore God’s wrath and took the blame.

So come now you all

And take heed to His call,

All you from every tribe and nation, great and small.

Come to the place that He has prepared;

Where fellowship with Him has been totally repaired.

The former things have passed away,

No more sin or death, nor suffering or decay.

He has promised to restore everything to perfection,

And that is our hope as we await our glorification.

He alone is God Almighty,

Praise His Holy name for He alone is worthy!

The post Restoration through Christ Jesus appeared first on Proverbs 31.

1) Personal Gospel living

The principle of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 shows that the prerequisite to teaching our children about God, and by implication then sharing the gospel with them, is to live the gospel ourselves. Sharing the gospel with our children must be preceded by a love for the Lord our God. This is the first step. If we do not truly worship God as the only God and love Him more than anything else with all that we have, our children will simply see us as hypocrites and this will cast doubt in their mind over the Gospel. They need to see us, their parents worship God daily, not only in our quiet times or family worship, but daily in every task that we undertake, our love for the one true God should be evident. It is true that with children many things are caught rather than taught.

Children learn well by observation. Therefore our example of Gospel living or our devoted love for God is a nonnegotiable in imparting the truth of the Gospel to our children. We are aware that our example cannot be perfect, even though we are saved, we still sin. But this also provides the perfect opportunity for the Gospel as we point them to the only perfect example, Jesus in whom we have forgiveness when we fail. As parents we need to ask forgiveness from our children when we have wronged them, when we lack compassion or when we exasperate them. They should see that we have a very deep and real need for forgiveness from our heavenly Father.

2) Personal teaching of the Gospel

In our endeavour to share the gospel with our children, it is of utmost importance that the gospel is evident in every aspect of our daily lives, because it is so relevant for every circumstance that we find ourselves in. There are countless opportunities every day to share the gospel: when we discipline our children, when we share a meal, when we experience nature and when we take them to church. As parents we need to be on the lookout for every opportunity to teach the gospel to our children. Nowhere in Scripture is it mentioned that we must start engaging in this process from a particular age, nor is it mentioned that we must ever stop engaging in this process at any given time.

The Lord’s commandments are to be the continual subject of daily conversation, it doesn’t require a special occasion, but should be linked to every aspect of daily life. As a parent of young ones, I am constantly aware of their depraved nature (and mine) and therefore I cannot reason any other way that they have a need for the gospel from the very first breath that they take. From that very moment they are little sinners that are in need of a Saviour. They need to hear the gospel proclaimed to them throughout each day, for without hearing how will they believe? (Rom 10:17)

I was blessed as my boys and I read through parts of Daniel, Ester, Jonah and Ezra as was discussed during Sunday School lessons. I was able to show them that these were not mere stories, but that Scripture has a golden thread throughout and that the memory verses that we have been learning could be seen as tangible evidence in some of these characters’ lives.

For example, we were able to see that Daniel was a living example of Proverbs 1:7a and therefore he did not fear or refrained from praying to God when orders were given to do so, he also had wisdom as given by God to interpret various dreams. Another fitting and challenging verse (to both children and parents) that we recently encountered in our home is Galatians 5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit”. Again it fitted a Sunday School preparation. In Esther 6, we were able to see that Mordecai did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as he demonstrated love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We do not teach the Word of the Lord to our children so that they can become Pharisees who are able to recite Scripture and catechisms in vain conceit, yet inwardly remain unchanged.

We do not teach Scripture to our children so that they can become outwardly obedient and pleasant children. We also do not teach the Word of the Lord to our children in order to save them ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” God is the one who saves, not by our works of wonderful parenting, but by grace through faith, salvation is a gift from the Lord. Yet, we do acknowledge the stewardship we have from God in this regard. If the law appeals to our conscience and makes us aware of our sin (Romans 7) then knowing the Word of God would become a compass for the conscience of our children that should drive them from the folly that is bound up in their hearts, safely into the arms of Christ.

3) Corporate worship

Our children need to see that we have a desire to worship God along with other believers and for this reason they should from a young age learn to be part of a corporate worship service so that they can see how to praise God appropriately in a corporate setting through singing, prayer and preaching. This gives them the opportunity to see God worshipped by other Gospel transformed believers. We should not underestimate the impact a Gospel believing, Gospel preaching church has on our children. Therefore, we ought to make the most of corporate worship gatherings.

Robbie Castleman describes in her book “Parenting in the pew”, that our goal in church is not to teach our children merely to behave and sit quietly so that they are not a hindrance to other worshippers. She explains that many adults still do just that, sit quietly in a service while they are unmoved by the Word of God. Worshipping God in spirit and in truth does not come easily or naturally, it is hard work. We want to teach our children to be attentive during worship as we come into the presence of the Holy God. It’s a matter of training the heart to hear and respond to the Gospel, not just the outward result of sitting still without disturbing anyone. In this corporate setting children see much of the Gospel lived out. Every aspect of the worship service is a proclamation of and response to the Gospel. At church children are confronted with the Gospel through the Gospel prayers, the Gospel singing, the Gospel read out loud form the Scriptures, the Gospel expounded upon through the preaching, the Gospel administered through the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As our children watch us worship God corporately at church they should see that we come before the Lord with alert minds and our hearts that are open to worship the King who save us from our sin.

Conclusion…

I am convinced that Deuteronomy 6:7 uses the word diligently to encourage us as parents because this is no easy task. Yet two things drive us to this tenacious devotion to gospel ministry to our children: a passion for God’s glory, and a compassion for our children.

a) A passion for God’s Glory Our task of living and sharing the gospel with our children primarily is a matter of obedience, obedience because we are commanded to do this just like Israel was commanded in Deuteronomy 6. And our obedience glorifies God.

Furthermore, until our children submit to the One True and Living God by turning away from their sin to trust in the cross of Christ, they are not glorifying God. We should be grieved by their sin because they are committing it against the Holy God and not because it is making our lives difficult.

b) A compassion for our children The task demands patience and endurance as well as compassion that flow from a heart that has been forgiven by our Master and Maker. Jesus had compassion on His children and therefore endured pain, suffering and separation from God on the cross. Because Jesus had compassion on us, we ought to have compassion on our children also. Grace has been demonstrated to us, we too should be gracious onto our children, and teach them the Word of the Lord so that they will glorify God through their lives.

In my own life I have seen that parenting is still a joy even when it is hard to discipline and disciple our children, but it’s only when I look to my Saviour for grace and to give me the compassion that I need for my little ones.

May we be encouraged by the sufficiency of Scripture and it’s relevancy in every situation of our daily lives however mundane the situation might seem. There is peace and comfort in the daunting task of sharing the gospel with our children as we find our rest and assurance in our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The post Gospel Powered Parenting appeared first on Proverbs 31.

The last two decades under Mugabe’s rule can be described in one word: despair.  I have seen friends and family languishing in hospitals dying from diseases that have a cure. Others have died crossing borders while others have been killed in foreign countries- murdered ruthlessly by people who did not want them in their lands. Everywhere we have gone we have been ridiculed and abused – treated like the scum of the earth. All over the world we were held in derision, our human dignity debased, just like the land of our birth.

Personally, I have been an economic refugee for all of my adult life. I have lived in 4 countries since I left Zimbabwe at age 17 in search of a better life. I also grew up without my mother because she had to work abroad to keep our family afloat . I miss my home. I miss eating mulberries, mangoes and corn that grew so abundantly. I miss my friends who are now scattered all over the world, some of whom I’ll probably never see again. From the time I left Zim I have had to reconstruct my life four times over – sometimes living in a country where I knew absolutely no one. I have had to be content with seeing family every few years and maintaining relationships via skype and whatsapp. It’s been a hard life but I know I am one of the lucky ones. Others have suffered far worse.

So why did I wake up despairing today? Because I got caught up in the euphoria and chose to overlook the  credentials of the men who are delivering this freedom to us. These men have stood by Mugabe all these years and are part of the same corrupt system that has kept Mugabe in power. These men we hail as our deliverers today, have been our oppressors for the last 37 years. And so today, on the morning after the fall of Mugabe, I woke up a little sober minded and I momentarily lost hope for our beautiful country. But God in his kindness gave me comfort from his word.

Psalm 146v3-8

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

We despair when we place our hope in anything other than God. I had put my hope in man rather than God. Emmerson Mnangagwa and General Chiwenga are not the deliverers of Zimbabwe. God is. They did not dethrone Mugabe. God did.  For God is the one who “brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.” (Isa 40v23) And God does this because all “authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Rom 13:1)

So tonight I go to sleep in peace. God, the sovereign ruler of all the world is in control. He’s got this. I do not know where Zimbabwe will go from here, whether we will live in a free and prosperous country again, but I know that God’s got a handle on it. Whether in poverty or plenty, God has a plan. I have lost so much in my life but I know that this life is only temporary. We have a hope that is certain, and that hope will not disappoint us, the hope of eternity spent with Christ. Men will disappoint us but God is forever faithful. We will live as freed men one day and enjoy without fear or regret the beautiful bounty of God’s creation. Until then, I will put my hope in God as I continue to pray for my beloved Zimbabwe

The post Zimbabwe: The Anguish Of Misplaced Hope appeared first on Proverbs 31.

My journey into motherhood, like so many of my journeys, started with Jesus. Jesus gently leading me to acknowledge the loss of never going to be able to have biological children. Jesus leading me to mourn, to cry, to surrender and to allow Him to heal me. This was hard, but when it was done I was free, free to move on, free to adopt.

Sadly the process of adopting a child in South Africa is marred with tons of red tape, over-worked social workers, a fair amount of prejudice and even what
one would call bureaucratic sabotage. Potential adoptive parents are often left feeling discouraged, powerless and unsupported, especially when trying to finalize the legal aspects of adopting a child.
When we adopted our daughter, who is turning 11 this month, the process was long, laborious and invasive, but I still consider us as one of the lucky ones, in that our adoption didn’t drag on for years and was not hindered by bureaucracy
and grave incompetence. It was however filled with many hours of probing questions, a long list of paper work we had to get done and an extensive waiting period.

We worked with a well known Johannesburg Adoption Agency and after 7 long
months our application was finally submitted and the waiting period started. I
found this period especially tough! We had no feedback from the agency and I
often felt very alone during this time. It takes a fair amount of faith to wait for an
unknown baby. To choose a name for this unknown baby. Prepare a room for
her. To pray for her. An unknown baby from a stranger who we would never
know, but to whom we would be forever connected. There are so many
unknowns when adopting, so many “ifs”, so many questions, doubts and fears.
An overwhelming degree of the adoption process is out of your control, you
really just have to let go and trust God.

The adoption process is emotionally draining. I will never forget the day that our session with our social worker consisted of the following questions: ‘Would you be open to adopting a child with physical disabilities? Would you consider
a baby who’s birth mom was raped? The baby of a drug addict? How about adopting a baby who has a history of mental illness in her family?” One answers these questions prayerfully and with a great deal of sadness and a weighty sense of responsibility.

One Friday morning we got, what is known in adoption circles as “The Call”! We had been matched with a baby. The wait was finally over. Now I finally knew that our little girl was nearly 7 months old and we could finalize the shopping list
and announce the long expected and wonderful news! It is a mad rush to get everything ready, a wonderfully sweet rush! The following week, we flew to Durban to meet our precious little one. As she was placed in my arms the long wait became a distant memory. It was done. Our daughter. At last! The next morning we made a quick court visit and then we brought our prefect little girl home….forever. The wonder of adoption is truly that this little person I have never met before is instantly connected to me. A connection planned and executed by my Heavenly Father. It is really difficult to put into words, but it is as if your heart just opens and receives this precious gift, no questions asked. I accepted and embraced her as my daughter 100%.
Having said that, bonding with your adopted baby does take time. When your baby comes home all is new and the journey from ‘strangers’ to mom-and-baby that unfolds is beautiful and in many ways sacred to me. All relationships take work and attachments take time to form. When we adopted our third baby, my then 5 year old son asked me: ”Mommy how will the baby know you are his mommy?”. I loved the honesty of his question. I told him the the baby would learn to know that I am his mommy as I care for and loved him[eltdf_blockquote text=”The gift of Adoption has taught me that when My Father says we are His children, it means that we are instantly and completely and forever accepted as His. It has taught me to trust God deeply and fully. ” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]. I have learned that when I surrender and allow Jesus in, He becomes intimately involved in the details of my life. I have learnt to ‘go with God’ no matter what, no matter where He leads me. And, whether it makes sense to me or not, I have learnt to trust that He knows best, even and especially when it hurts.

I am now, mother to my four beautiful children and I still stand amazed at how God has worked out the details. How He took 4 motherless children and a childless couple and put us together ….in a family, perfectly matched in Him, forever.

The post Healing…Adoption…Completion appeared first on Proverbs 31.

My name was M*. My home consisted of my biological mother, the man she was living with, an older sister and a younger brother. I have good memories of engaging with my little brother, but other than that, there weren’t many good childhood memories.

My biological mother made me believe I was ugly and worthless; she did this through her harsh words and emotional rejection. I knew no such thing as celebrating Christmas or any of my birthdays. I was there and had to be tolerated. There was no mistaking that I was unwanted and unloved. For a little girl, all I can remember was that I wanted was a loving family.

In 2006, my biological mother told me I needed to pack my things and that I was going on a trip by myself. She told me that a lady would come and pick me up and that I mustn’t be at home when she got back from work. And she left me there, standing in my room. L*(the social worker from Abba Adoptions) came and fetched me. I asked her if she was going to be my ‘new mom’ but she said ‘No’ and promised me that she would find me just the right mom and ‘forever family.’ Until then I was to stay with Tannie B* who was a place of safety. She also looked after special needs babies. I stayed with her for a year. My memory of that time was just of her loving me, caring for me and being so kind. It was the first time real love was shown to me.

While I stayed with her, an Afrikaans family sometimes looked after me on weekends, but it was always temporary, so I figured no-one would ever love me permanently. I remember my first day of becoming a Johnson so clearly. Dad_and_Mom were crying when they came to fetch me and my two brothers were so excited. I was so excited to be going to my new home with my new family who had chosen to love me and make me part of them.

I remember my mom asking me to do something and I just said ‘Yes,’ and she instructed me to say, ‘Yes, Mom.’ It was weird and new and wonderful and strange.

Before I was adopted, Mom lovingly made a scrapbook to introduce each member of my new family – Dad, Mom, my two older brothers and my sister in Heaven. It also had pictures of my new home and a pretty bedroom – just for me.

At the back of the scrapbook was a letter my mom had written explaining why they were giving me a new name; Mika Hope. I asked Tannie B* to read it over and over to me:

Dear M*

We already love you. We have prayed that if God wanted to bring a little girl into our family, He would do it when the time was right and would find the perfect little girl for us.

I know it might seem a little scary for you – but remember, my sweet little one, that God has prepared our family for you and you for our family.

In the Bible, God sometimes changed people’s names when He adopted them into His family. We would like to change your name to one that is similar to your name right now, but will be unique for you in our family.

We would like to change your name to MIKA HOPE. Mika is a name that comes from Japan and means ‘beautiful fragrance.’

We have chosen ‘Hope’ for your second name because no matter what has happened in our lives or what sadness we have gone through, God always gives us hope in Jesus.

We can’t wait for you to become part of our family so that we can start making special memories together.

All my love,

Your new mommy.

In the beginning I kept thinking that no-one would love me permanently. I believed the dream of a family would end soon. But as I began to settle in, I began to realise that I was good enough no matter my stubbornness and faults. As my parents showed God’s love to me, my heart softened and my independent will started changing. God was working in my heart and in all our hearts. He was writing new chapters to my story.

I remember one time, when I was eight, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party. I was the only little girl there who was not white. (That happens quite often when you are adopted into a white family.)

Anyway, my mom had just bought me pretty new sandals which I wore to the party. We then played a party game where we were divided into two teams and a sheet was placed over one team who were lying on the ground. We were covered except for our feet which stuck out. The other team had to guess who the feet belonged to. Before I lay down under the sheet, I ran to my mom and asked her to take my sandals as everyone would guess it was me because of my sandals. It didn’t dawn on me that I was the most obvious one to guess because of my skin colour!

I now have my own testimony of God’s grace and salvation in my life. As I look back, I can see God’s hand and how He was caring and protecting me.

I have been doubly adopted – physically and spiritually.

My identity is Mika Hope Johnson – I am half Coloured, half Indian and completely White.

But it is God’s adoption of me that has given me my true identity.

When God adopts us, He changes our past, our future and everything about us.

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:4-6)

It is because of God’s adoption of me that I am not rejected because Jesus was rejected on the cross for me so that I could belong to Him and have a heavenly Father.

It is God’s adoption of me that reminds me that I am not unwanted or unloved, because He chose me before the foundation of the world.

It is God’s adoption of me that reminds me that His love is not temporary but that He will love me with an everlasting love.

It is God’s adoption of me that that promises me that He will never leave me nor forsake and that nothing can ever snatch me out of His hand.

God chose to show me this through my earthly adoption into the Johnson family. My family. My ‘forever family.’ God chose to do this through the work of Jesus on the cross. Adoption is a picture of the Gospel of Grace. I am grateful to be part of that story and to know that God is still writing my story. And because God is the author, I know it is a beautiful story and a good story and it will have a wonderful ending.

Mika is 17 years old and currently in Grade 11. Visual Art is her favourite subject at school and her after school activities include Highland Dancing and Hockey. She is planning on studying Nursing when she finishes school.

Continue to read this beautiful love story here as told from her mom’s perspective, our very own Prov31 contributor Leanne Johnson.

The post Forever Family appeared first on Proverbs 31.

[eltdf_dropcaps type=”normal” color=”” background_color=””]I[/eltdf_dropcaps] cringed as I was writing that greeting because I hate when people call me independent.  But the truth is, it’s what I’ve fought so hard to become.  I have lived much of my life trying to prove people wrong about my ability to be self sufficient.  Trying to prove that I can do it on my own.  It’s a battle I’ve fought hard and a battle I’ve mostly won.  But have I really, though?

So here I am, late 20s and single.  I love my independence.  Sometimes I let it rule my life.  Backing up…let’s be real, I often let it rule my life.  It’s a badge I wear proudly.  Sometimes I wear it so proudly that I don’t know how to take it off.  Several weeks ago, I felt like my badge of independence was being ripped from me.  I got asked out for coffee by a guy I’d just met.  My immediate response was: Uhmm…I don’t have time for this, have a nice day.  

No, I didn’t actually say that! You’ll be relieved to hear that response was just in my head.  I was told by a dear friend recently that if I desire to be married, I have to stop saying no to every single guy that shows interest.  So I texted a girl friend and literally said:  I don’t know what to say.  I have a particular skill in shutting guys down…the reverse, not so much.

That invitation terrified me.  My mind went into an immediate spiral of what-ifs that led to the thought: could this simple little invitation to get coffee be the end of my independence?  And my friend, that is when I realized my independence is an idol in my heart.  That was a painful thing to realize.

Idols aren’t just the little carvings people in different parts of the world have sitting on their mantle.  According to Merriman-Webster’s Dictionary, an idol is a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly: a false god.  My friend, that’s what independence is in my heart: a false god.  An idol can be anything that you worship above the one, true God.  My independence is stealing from me my greatest joy: a life in honour of Christ.  Instead of pursuing Christ, I’m pursuing things that give me greater independence.

That little invitation for coffee ended up being nothing.  We chatted a bit, had a nice time, but in the end decided that the Lord was clearly leading our lives in two totally different directions.  But I’m so glad he asked me to coffee, because God used it to expose my heart and show me my sin.

[eltdf_blockquote text=”My greatest fear is that I will be successful in the things that don’t matter for eternity. And my greatest desire is to serve the Lord sacrificially with my whole life. It’s time to put my desire for independence to death. ” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]. May I continue to remain single as long as my service for the Lord has a larger impact through my singleness than through marriage.  But if I meet someone where I can tangibly see a way wherein we can serve the Lord better together, then may I joyfully embrace marriage.  Either way, I can find joy and contentment in the life the Lord has planned for me.

Today, let your dependence be on Christ.

Love from One Independent Sister to Another

The post Dear Independent Sister appeared first on Proverbs 31.

We had it all

In the garden before the fall.

We had no lack

Before we went off track.

Naked yet felt no shame,

Because innocence defined our frame.

The presence of God, O wonderful sweetness!

His voice filled with love and tenderness.

He made it all,

In beauty – all great and small.

From the fish that swarmed the seas,

To the birds that flew with ease,

All creatures that crept on the ground,

To the cattle and beasts that he made to abound.

Man, who was made in His image and likeness

Was to care for it all in kindness.

We heard him call,

But His tender love we could not recall.

Fear and dread filled our mind

As we sought for a tree to hide behind.

He said we could eat, but not from that one

Or death would surely come.

But beguiled by the serpent’s crafty entice,

We exchanged God’s truth for a lie.

We heard mercy call

From the One whose authority is above all;

The Son of God, full of truth and grace,

He came and showed us God’s embrace.

Although we were by nature children of wrath,

He died to bring us onto the right path.

Sinless and righteous, yet took upon Himself our shame,

He bore God’s wrath and took the blame.

So come now you all

And take heed to His call,

All you from every tribe and nation, great and small.

Come to the place that He has prepared;

Where fellowship with Him has been totally repaired.

The former things have passed away,

No more sin or death, nor suffering or decay.

He has promised to restore everything to perfection,

And that is our hope as we await our glorification.

He alone is God Almighty,

Praise His Holy name for He alone is worthy!

The post Restoration through Christ Jesus appeared first on Proverbs 31.

The streaks of biblical womanhood which  I see in Muthani (my wife)  are not so much her prowess in cooking and baking (which she does really well), nor her vigor in cleaning (which she does so much that sometimes I even get irritated with her not sitting down), nor any of the other tasks which she excellently performs. These tasks certainly have added lots of value to me, those around us and the church… but that’s not where her biblical attributes shine through brightest.

Rather, it is when the outworking of her faith shows itself in all that she does, then, she is clothed with the virtues of true biblical womanhood.

Let me speak of how I see the attributes of  a Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 woman in my wife:

1. Her time and energy are principally dedicated to being our children’s mother and my wife. I see her daily making choices that put her family first, even if it comes at a cost to her. She does things like reading to our children (small though they be), rising at 5am to make breakfast for our son before going to attend to her career and she consistently takes the time to see to her husband’s wellbeing.

2. She has a heart to invest in her younger sisters in the Lord. Her relationship with Christ and her life experiences have equipped her with wisdom and insights which have proven to be immensely helpful to young ladies. Muthani never shies from an opportunity to hold a young ladies hand and walk with her through life. I’ve seen her lovingly embrace these young ladies with all their faults and failures reaching out to them physically, or via whatsapp.

3. She is a worker at home. Muthani reminds me of the fact that God has given the home to women as their domain. In the home, she gives space for my leadership to come alive, my ego as a provider to soar, and my sense of being a caring man to blossom. She daily makes the home her domain by not being lazy or too busy outside her home. True to the scriptures, she is worker at home.

4. I have never seen Muthani tired. On two occasions I have seen her “carry” our children for nine months. Surprising and inspiring to many she still attended to the house, the family and consistently sought to be a means of grace. I remember in her last pregnancy, hardly 24hours out of theatre and she was busy sending out messages regarding provisions for our usual church lunch. In what would be expected to be a moment of weakness for her; she instead willingly served the people of God. Many times for the sake of Christ, her household, friends and family she will not tire, but will go the extra mile – Indeed, she literally dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

A word of caution: I’m not saying Muthani is flawless, free of weakness and/or picture perfect. Far from it. I’m talking about her frailty being transformed by faith.  I think the most important and fundamental thing about the Proverbs 31 woman, which manifests in Muthani, is explained at the end of the chapter, “she fears the Lord” (Prov. 31:30) and we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7, 9:10, 15:33).

Muthani’s practical faith is a continuous reminder to me that orthodoxy must ALWAYS must show itself in orthopraxy.

By Humphrey Mukutuma

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Pondering of this and seeing this lived out in my wife, delights my heart. Beholding my wife given striving to grow in this area of grace is fulfilling. Her godly character is a constant reminder and a reflection of what an excellent wife looks like.

Three implied principles are reflective of her as gleaned from Prov. 31 v 11:

My wife is devoted to loving God and His word. And I daily learn from her. Her loving devotion toward our daughter and to me, is matchless. Her devoting of time, strength, wifely duties and all other crucible intricacies toward me, the man of clay in whom nothing good resides, cannot go unnoticed.  Her devotion to care for and cherish our relationship, her willingness to accept me for who I am –and not for what I am and have–, is worth noting. I trust her because she is an open book for all to see and know precisely the divine dealing of God with her. She is so transparent that when she is down cast or even rejoicing, she remains a woman ever yielding to God’s divine providence, a woman willing to be helped and guided where possible. She, in this way, makes my duty as a husband to love, lead and guide her, quite rewarding.

This describes my wife’s unfeigned love toward me.  Albert Martin’s lectures, “Love”, define love as “…that gracious and principled disposition of good will, which desires and practically seeks the good of its object even at its personal cost” (Pastoral Theology, cultivating love for men part 1) – I Corinthians. 13v4 – 8b. It is in this definition that I see an affirmative reality definitive of my wife.

Regarding her unhampered sacrifice and selflessness: my wife left the earthly comforts of the USA, willingly leaving in response to the Lord’s call to missions. She has settled in the most contrasting conditions as compared to her place of birth and upbringing. Her sacrifice and selflessness is praiseworthy. My heart trusts her in all things for she seeks scripture to govern her, against all odds.

When I look at my wife, I see an exemplified reality of I Cor. 13v4 – 8a, Eph. 5v22 & v24 & v33b-, I Pet 3v1 – 6. And I foresee the fruitful principle of a mature woman reflective of Titus 2v3 – 5. Already she emits so well much growth in grace and knowledge of Christ. And not only will she be exemplary to the younger women who will in turn praise her, but our children and I  –her husband–, will praise her, for she will be a mother of the faithful.

She is priceless and valued beyond costly jewels. I am daily indebted to God for His gracious gift of giving her to me.

“The Selfish and ungodly persons everywhere enter into all kinds of relationships with a desire of serving their own selves, and gratifying their own flesh without knowing or caring what is required of them. Their desire is for the honor, profit, or pleasure their relationship will provide them but not for what God and man requires or expects from them. [Gen 2:18, Prov. 18:22] Their mind is concerned only with what they shall have and not for what they shall be and do.” Richard Baxter.

Sydney B. Kombe

Richard Baxter, The Mutual duties of husbands and wives towards each other, 1615-1691, http://www.puritansermons.com/

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