The demands of family, ministry, and life in general often become overwhelming. We can’t believe all this is required from just one person. There’s not enough of us to go around. And we ask the question again, “Do I have to be a Wonder Woman?”
Caught in the daily dilemma of duties and desires, what voices do we hear in our heads, and what do they say?
“You should be more organized.”
“Remember, do your best at everything.”
“When do I know it is good enough?”
“What is ‘it’ anyway?”
“I don’t see how so-and-so always has a clean house. She must think I am a slob.”
“Am I productive enough? Am I using my time wisely?”
These could be the voices of our mother or father, husband, friends, or even our enemy, the accuser of the brethren. But most often it is our own frustrated voice we hear.
How can we hear God’s voice about these issues? He is the one who always speaks the truth. What does He say to us?
“He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:36(b)-4 and John 10:27-29.
“I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Read John 15 like a “romance in the garden.” Intimacy, oneness, and relationship are such strong themes here. This is the way Jesus longs to live in us, completely connected, nourishing us.
“You are precious and honored in my sight, and . . . I love you.” Isaiah 43:4
“The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:11 (See also Psalm 139; Psalm 17:8)
Do you realize how much God delights in you, loves you, thinks about you and cares about you? This is the voice He wants you to hear.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . . ” Colossians 3:15(a)
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (See also Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 4:16)
So often our discontent comes from straining against the boundaries (i.e., health, children, time, energy, space, finances, experience) God has set around us. My mother often emphasized the “let” it rule part to me. The day may not go smoothly; we live in a fallen world. But somewhere in the center of the soul, God gives peace.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14 (See also Psalm 131:1-2 and Matthew 11:29-30)
So far, in the Scripture we’ve looked at, the Lord is not asking us to be Wonder
Woman. He is calling us to a love relationship with Him, to trust in His power, to let His strength be ours, and to serve Him and others from our human vessels. He is the God Who made us out of dust and who set 24 hours as boundaries for each day/night.
Now, do we believe that there is enough time in every day to do what God wants us to do in that day? If this is true, and I believe it is, then we need to re-set our expectations and desires to match His. We need to realize that only He is God – limitless, all-powerful, all-knowing – and we are not.
We need to ask, “What is it, Lord, that You have for me and would like from me in this day?” Listen, then obey. Remember, God promises wisdom to those who ask.
James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Often, His will for me in a day is to do my chores and love the people around me well. But when I ask, “What do you want to say to me, Lord?”, He always begins with “I love you.”
So if I am not called to be Wonder Woman, what kind of woman am I called to be?
Where do I want God to take me as I am transformed in His likeness from glory to glory?
May God make me a woman who:
- Reflects His glory and points others to Him. I am weak and need a Savior. He is the source of my life and strength.
- Centers my soul in the love of the Lord
- Lives for the “well done” words of my Master and not for the praise of people.
- Accepts today with a joyful heart and loves and serves within the boundaries (including interruptions) God gives me.
- Knows the difference between hospitality and entertaining.
- Realizes my family members are the closest people to me because God wants them to have the most of me. I am the only wife my husband has and the only mom my children have. This is the job I get to do that no one else can.
- Hears God’s voice and follows Him. I say “no” to important things that God has not called me to and I open my heart to the opportunities He has for me, even in new territory.
- Lets go of unrealistic expectations. I focus on what I will look back on and be really glad I did. I try not to “sweat the small stuff.” I realize I am an ordinary person and I struggle.
- Accomplishes the daily tasks with endurance knowing that the “grunt work” is the “holy work.”
- Actively participates in the body of Christ, knowing I am not the whole, but that my part is vital.
- Enjoys being me. I am a unique creation of God. I want to be who God made me to be instead of comparing myself to others.
- Does what is right and does not give way to fear (I Peter 3:6).
- Graciously loves, loves, loves . . .
This, my friends, will not make you “Wonder Woman,” but rather “wonderful woman.” And, don’t you know, you make the Lord smile!
This article is a classic originally published in our early print magazines.
View the original print magazine where this article was first published.
