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Actions always speak louder than words.  Palladius, an early church historian , wrote to a friend these words:

“Words and syllables do not constitute teaching, for some teachers possess great words but live disreputable in the extreme.”

Sadly, many Christians know and profess all the right things, but live devilish lives.

So today, I want to share with you a glimpse into the character of Sarah Edwards,(1709-1758) wife of Jonathan Edwards. Her husband is the well-known preacher of the  Great Awakening and is famous for his sermon, “Sinner In The Hands of an Angry God.”

These are excerpts taken from the book Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards: 

On being a suitable helper to her husband:

She proved, also, an invaluable [support] to Mr. Edwards, in the duties of his profession, not only by her excellent example, but by her active efforts in doing good.

“She was,” says Dr. Hopkins, “eminent for her piety…religious conversation was her delight; and, as far as propriety permitted, she promoted it in all companies. Her religious conversation showed at once her clear comprehension of spiritual and divine things, and the deep impression which they had made upon her mind.”

It was not merely conversation about religion—about its truths, or duties, or its actual state—its doctrines or triumphs—or the character and conduct of its friends and ministers: it was religion itself;—that supreme love to God, to his kingdom and his glory, which, abounding in the heart, flows forth spontaneously, in the daily conversation and the daily life.

Her thought life:

Her mind appeared to attend to spiritual and divine things constantly, on all occasions, and in every condition and business of life. Secret prayer was her uniform practice, and appeared to be the source of daily enjoyment.

Her words:

“She made it her rule to speak well of all, so far as she could with truth and justice to herself and others. She was not wont to dwell with delight on the imperfections and failings of any; and when she heard persons speaking ill of others, she would say what she thought she could with truth and justice in their excuse, or divert the obloquy, by mentioning those things that were commend-able in them. Thus she was tender of every one’s character, even of those who injured and spoke evil of her; and carefully guarded against the too common vice of evil speaking and backbiting.”

Treatment of those who mistreated her:

She could bear injuries and reproach with great calmness, without any disposition to render evil for evil; but, on the contrary, was ready to pity and forgive those who appeared to be her enemies.”

How she dealt with her children:

She had an excellent way of governing her children: she knew how to make them regard and obey her cheerfully, without loud angry words, much less, heavy blows. She seldom punished them; and in speaking to them used gentle and pleasant words.

 If any correction was necessary, she did not administer it in a passion; and when she had occasion to reprove and rebuke, she would do it in few words and with all calmness and gentleness of mind.

In her directions and reproofs in matters of importance, she would address herself to the reason of her children, that they might not only know her inclination and will, but at the same time be convinced of the reasonableness of it. She had need to speak but once; she was cheerfully obeyed; murmuring and answering again were not known among them.

Her system of discipline was begun at a very early age, and it was her rule to resist the first, as well as every subsequent, exhibition of temper or disobedience in the child, however young, until its will was brought into submission to the will of its parents; wisely reflecting, that until a child will obey his parents, he can never be brought to obey God.

Letter to her daughter three days after the death of her husband, Jonathan, showing her trust in God.

“My very dear child,

What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives: and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be.

Your ever affectionate mother,

SARAH EDWARDS”

Sarah’s marriage was anything but perfect. Her husband had severe bouts of depression, and they lived in a time of civil unrest and spiritual warfare. Although they had their “highs” in life, they survived their “lows” by anchoring their soul on the only ONE who never changes, and who is always faithful. Sarah kept her home pleasant. She was known to walk through town singing and humming quietly to herself and had the testimony of being a joyful Christian. Adjectives used for her in the memoirs included: joyful, pious, godly, holy, appropriate, kind.

I am thankful that I can read her testimony ALL these years later and still be blessed by her good life. That tells me that MY life and my testimony, if lived in a way that pleases God, can also be an encouragement for women who follow after me.

But lives lived like Sarah’s do not just happen. They require a desire for the Holy One. They are focused and  God-fearing. Not easily distracted.

 May God give us the grace to follow Him as we should.

Let’s just say that we have been busy with good things as a family, and things tend to come in “tidal waves” when they get busy. Know what I mean?

So, since I don’t really see any free time in my near future, I wanted to share some things that I loved online this past week.

Articles:

1. This article “Are We Done Playing Games” by Steve Hafler. We know Steve and Toni  and our church supported them for years while they were missionaries in Africa. If you have sons, you should read this.

2. This article by Noel Piper on Godly friendships and a warning to women, especially  ministry wives, who do not have intimate friendships in the church. If you cannot receive encouragement, instruction and correction without shutting people out of your life, or becoming bitter, the problem is your own. She shares how God opened her eyes to the need that she was not self sufficient. I am MORE thankful than ever that God does not leave us alone, but that He gives us godly friendships!

3. This article on contentment and discontentment from Joy Forney, missionary wife in Indonesia. We all struggle with this from time to time and I really appreciated this article.

4. You all know Elizabeth, because she has guest posted here before. I loved this article on Trusting God and praising Him when we are surprised by life.

Cute Crafts:

This paper chain for Valentines Day. So cute and perfect for kids who LOVE to cut up construction paper in general. {ahem}

Free Ebook

Do you read on your ipod or kindle? I love that you can download free books and it does not take up any space on your actual bookshelf, which equals less clutter and less dust! ha,ha

So, did you all see this free ebook  Organized Simplicity? (free for a limited time. A $16.99 savings!)  If you can just get one great idea out of it, it was worth downloading it.  

By the way, we are praying for SNOW!! It is New England and we want to go sledding but our ground is bare. So pray for snow for us, won’t you??

I hope you have a wonderful week serving your family and living out God’s priorities for your life!

{I know I have said this before, but just because I link to an article, does not mean that I fully endorse an entire website/blog. I have not read entire blogs or sites, so please just use discretion like you would anywhere. That should go without saying, but you never know! )

Think hospital. Think healing. Think soul care.

Every day we cross paths with people who simply need kindness. And yet, kindness is so very rare in our rush-about, fast paced, production oriented culture. We are “producers”, and caring takes time, which slows.us. down.and.hinders.production.

Our husbands need a safe place. A kind word from a kind wife. Our kids need our time and attention. A look in the eye that shows that we are listening and really care.  And that lady at church–the one with all the little kids who always looks exhausted–she needs to hear that she is doing a good job, and that her life matters. She needs someone to care for her exhausted body and mind.

When you open your heart and home to others by caring–soul care, if you will– you are meeting a variety of needs–physical, emotional and spiritual. And like a skilled physician, you must decipher which is needed and then set about to administer the proper remedy.

Weary souls make their way to someone who loves enough to care. It is an inroad for the gospel.  It is amazing to think that the treatment for so many maladies can be had over a cup of warm tea, or a cold diet coke.

And, you never know the private pain that someone is enduring on the inside. My mother used to tell us that sometimes people are smiling on the outside, but on the inside, they might be crying.

I love this example of hospitality lived out in the life of Sarah Edwards, wife of the famous preacher, Jonathan Edwards, of the Great Awakening:

Familiar from childhood with the rules of decorum and good breeding, affable and easy in her manners, and governed by the feelings of liberality and benevolence, she [Sarah] was remarkable for her kindness to her friends, and to the visitants who resorted to Mr. Edwards;

sparing no pains to make them welcome, and to provide for their convenience and comfort. She was also peculiarly kind to strangers who came to her house. By her sweet and winning manners and ready conversation, she soon became acquainted with them, and brought them to feel acquainted with herself; and showed such concern for their comfort, and so kindly offered what she thought they needed, that while her friendly attentions discovered at once that she knew the feelings of a stranger, they also made their way directly to his heart, and gaining his confidence, led him im-mediately to feel as if he were at home, in the midst of near and affectionate friends.  Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards, pg. 71

Like Sarah Edwards, we must win the heart to be effective for Christ.

We can’t be a “love on Sunday” kinda Christian. We need to go about doing good seven days a week, starting in our own home.

Linked to Darlene at Time Warp Wife and The Better Mom (as in, I want to be a better mom. ) and Courtney

If you have woven or knit scarves, just be careful when you pull them out to not pull them where the shower ring clasp is!

Do you have any inexpensive storage tips to share?

Missed yesterdays post? Creative Ways to Beat Winter Boredom with Little Ones

On Facebook? We have a lovely community of women who love sharing ideas and learning new things. From balancing life with little ones to getting advice about child training, we talk about it all.  Click “like” on the right hand sidebar.

So, here are a few ideas to help you change up your day with your little ones and perhaps help beat those winter blues that we all face before spring.

1. Go out for a snowy walk. Bundle up and just go. Bring a Thermos of  hot chocolate with you if you like. The winter air perks everyone up.

2. Do a winter sport. Go ice skating. If you don’t have any frozen cranberry bogs nearby, then look for a rink that has public skate available. Organize a sledding party and meet up at a great sledding hill. The kids sled, the mom’s talk and sip warm drinks. It is a win-win!

3. Visit the library. We frequent our little town library, but every once in a while we make the trek to a bigger library in our area to see what resources they have available. You’d be amazed what the library offers now.

3. Learn a new hobby yourself. Take up painting, knitting or crocheting. Do something creative. For kids, try Sculpey, beading kits, big bendy pipe cleaners, an airplane model, etc…

4. Have an indoor picnic. Little ones like opening a lunch bag when they are not used to a packed lunch like traditional school kids. Spread out a blanket and let them play.

5. Blow bubbles in a pan. You know that Williams Sonoma three piece cake pan set you got for Christmas? Fill the bottom  pan with 1/4 inch of bubbles and give your kid a straw. Let them blow bubbles in the pan to their hearts content. (I have no idea why they love doing this, but they do. And your WS pan suddenly becomes worth more as a bubble base than as a cake base. Trust me.It is an investment in your sanity. he,he)

6. Cut paper snowflakes and hang them on the windows. Add glitter to them for some extra sparkle.

7. Make a “house” out of cardboard boxes for dolls, or a garage for cars for boys. The kids can cut windows out of them and decorate them with markers.

8. Make cards using pretty paper, fancy edged scissors and pretty pictures from a magazine or old calendar. Send a note to a grandparent, a sick friend, or an nursing home resident.

9. Combine your toy sets. Block, matchboxes, Playmobil, etc…can be more exciting when they are used together. Blocks become the city that the cars drive through. Give the kids your  aprons and let them “cook” with wooden beads, cut up paper and a wooden bowl to play house and make a paper soup. (can you tell I have 4 girls?) In our house, this usually works best under our kitchen table which is covered by a blanket to make a “house.”

10. Visit a museum. Libraries often have passes to local museums to keep costs affordable for all families. I have rarely paid more than $5 per person using a pass.

What other fun things do you do to change up your wintery days?

This was one of my FAVORITE homeschooling resources when I started out on our homeschooling journey. It is probably the ONE book I loaned out more than any other to friends who needed that little confidence boost to pursue homeschooling.

I know the book looks outdated and the cover art is nothing special, but it is what’s inside that counts. Trust me.

Here is what Homeschool Expert Cathy Duffy says about The Three 3′s:

Dr. Beechick has a remarkable talent for demystifying the educational process. She explains what needs to be accomplished, then presents easy and practical ways to meet those goals. She stresses the importance of parent/child interaction, real-life experience, and the value of reading “real” books. (This is very compatible with Charlotte Mason methodology.)

I really believe that anyone teaching young children should read these books. They are tremendous confidence builders. On top of that, the set also includes a two-sided math and phonics chart.

I know you are not all on Facebook, but for those of you who are, I wanted to let you know that you can enter to win!

Just share the post on FB and then comment on the FB page telling me you did so. Easy-peasy. Winner will be picked Friday at 6pm EST.  For US residents only.

Well, I was in tears as I went to bed last night and of course I cried this morning as she left for the airport. It is a wonderful, bitter sweet thing to see your children following God and becoming independent.

So, as I held back my tears and gulped down my morning coffee, I read of Sarai, the wife of Abraham. She had her share of hardship, trials, and unfulfilled desires.  And in the midst of her nomadic, childless,  unpredictable existence we read these words: “Is anything too hard for  the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14)

Sometimes we have little “trials” like missing a child.

But sometimes the trouble is greater.

And yet in all our circumstances, God knows exactly what we need physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I was comforted and consoled as I read these words this morning:

Because you live your life in God’s presence, you can never be anywhere that God isn’t: He is always with you(Ps. 139:7-12). You can never be separated from the loving presence of the Lord (Romans 8:35-39). Wherever you are–dealing with whatever trial, facing whatever problem, enduring whatever difficulty–you can be assured that God knows, sees, hears, cares and will provide for you.

God was so gracious to me today and I was aware of His presence and comfort all throughout the day.  It truly is a beautiful thing to be a child of such a good God.

This weekend, my daughter’s played their violins together in church. Hearing them together always makes me smile. Plus they played one of my favorite songs, “For the Beauty of the Earth.” So, I leave you with this:

linked to Miss Courtney

Q:  God has definitely brought to my mind that I am to lay down my life for others and that includes my husband and children.  I really liked what you included in this post about servants not worrying about being used because often that thought creeps into my mind.  I’ve also read other messages/blogs/books where people have said that a home should not be child-centered…  How do we serve our children without making them think that the world is all about them?

Our goal is  to model Christlike service motivated by love, and to teach our kids the same way of life.  I think we often have extremes envisioned in our minds: One is of a ragged mother, who day and night washes, cooks, cleans and picks up after her kids who never do anything but make messes. The other is of a mother who sits on the couch while their kids fend for themselves all day. One is totally child centered. The other is just plain negligent.

When we care for our homes and children well, we are serving them. We cook, clean, mend, iron, braid hair, fix treats, etc. These are all normal things that mothers do because they love their kids and husband. But, as you might have noticed, children are not naturally helpful. They are naturally selfish, and it is our job to train them in all areas of Christlikeness, including service.

It is a matter of the heart. Are you going to serve yourself or others today? So, when our kids were young, they all had a morning chore that they did in order to keep the Beals household running well. And they were actually punished if they did not do their part. Self discipline, dependability, faithfulness and responsibility are all LOVING things to teach a child. I think that many a misguided mother has worn herself out  and run herself ragged thinking that she was serving her child by doing everything for them, when in fact she was enabling a child to be unfaithful and irresponsible.

I would praise your kids when you see them serving one another and correct them when they are tending to be selfish. In my own experience, kids tend to go in “selfish cycles”. They do well for a while, then fall into selfishness again. They are battling the flesh. In our home, our kids seem to excell in serving in specific ways.  Holly makes Hope tea every morning and asks us all if we would like some. Emily tends to run to the aid of anyone who is feeling under the weather, offering heating pads or Tylenol, depending on your ailment. Bek tries to surprise me by organizing my “hot spots” or clutter in the house. Matt serves by running out to get the groceries for me when I come in the driveway. Of course, things are not perfect around here and we certainly have had our times of training due to selfishness.

It is also important to serve together as a family. Again, hospitality is a great way to train your children to serve others.

How do you balance serving and training your kids to serve others?

Linked To The Better Mom