This verse has been on my mind a lot recently. I've been trying to deliberately think about what is going through my mind. Often I find a chorus of "I'm so frustrated, or annoyed, or tired, or...." While it all may be true and I may think I have a good excuse for frustrated emotions -listening to the broken record repeat itself in my head sure did nothing to improve my mindset.
I've been deliberately (I'm learning to love that word) choosing to focus my mind on something good. My friend, Paula put it so good in a story she told last night, "choosing to laugh, then finding you want to laugh"!
I'm not really talking about some sort of "power of positive thinking". But rather "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (11 Corinthians 10:5)
A very practical step that has helped me is listening to good music. Amazing how a cd of hymns can calm me and spread to the rest of the household.
Recently I printed off the words to a hymn I'd like to memorize and posted it by my kitchen sink. I try to sing through the verses at least once a day and find myself humming the tune the rest of the day. I love the words to this hymn and will share them below. I just can't sing about resting in the love of Christ without it affecting my attitude!
I'd love to hear how other busy moms keep their focus on God throughout their day.
Jesus I Am Resting, Resting
by Jean S. Pigott 1876
Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!
Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.
Refrain
Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
O, how great Thy loving kindness,In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.
Listen to the song below.
I love that verse and use it often, particularly when expecting a baby!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar experience as we've begun incorporating a "hymn study" into our homeschool over the last couple of years. I'll have the hymn in my head all day and will start singing aloud during those trying moments. The greatest joy from this has been listening to even my three year old daughter hum or sing "Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father!" as she goes about her day!
Hi Gina,
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. I am a plain old fashion homemaker too. I just love your blog. I maded your Monster Cookies this week and they were yummy. I plan to make more in April for our church Bake Sale.
Stop By for a visit whem time permits.
Blessings In Christ,
Elizabeth
I love listening to old hymns! I listen to http://www.oldchristianradio.com/ frequently.
ReplyDeleteLove the hymn you posted!
Gina thank you for sharing :) Great post.
ReplyDeleteGina, This kind of thinking (taking every thought captive for Christ) could change a LOT of households if women would make this kind of commitment. Most excellent post!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! I have read your posts for a while now, but haven't commented. I can't help doing so today.
ReplyDeleteI too love the old hymns. Raised as a missionaries kid, I know lots of the words to many of the hymns we sing in church. I often will sing in the car on my way to work and on my way home. I hum when working around the house or sewing, or in the garden or whatever I'm doing. I know the words, so when I'm humming the words are running through my head. I had a great Mum who helped me memorize scripture too and that has helped me through the years. What a wonderful mental exercise it is to memorize.
God Bless,
Mrs. D