My First Blog – As Exciting As Having A Baby!

This seems like an auspicious occasion—one which should perhaps be preceded by a celebratory trumpet blast or a banner flown behind an airplane across a clear blue summer sky.

But alas, adding gifs and jigabytes and such are beyond my abilities!   Don’t despair, though—all is not lost!   What I lack in techno-geek skills, I more make up for with sparkling wit and grammar.  <wink!> 

Oh, wait.   What IS this in my bag-of-tricks?  A heart glad to serve the Lord and a strong desire to share my home-keeping and family-raising experiences with other women.  

So, let us begin.   First of all:  I feel like I should share with you how all of this started.    And because some people like to know what motivates others to take on an endeavor like this.

To begin with, you should know that I like to write.   And I like studying my Bible.  And what I like about studying the Bible is that no matter what I read or how many times I read it, there’s something new every time.   Cool how God does that!   I also like being a wife and mother.  

I was a still a fairly young woman when I became an overnight mother by virtue of adopting three half-grown foster sons and a daughter.   Being a wife was great, but becoming a mother really added a new dimension to my life.   Then God, in His infinite wisdom, answered my prayers, and we had three babies of our own, too!     Most couples start with babies and THEN have pre-teens, but our family came about according to God’s plan.    And what a ride it has been!

The idea of passing along motherly and wiferly wisdom first wiggled its way into a quiet corner of my mind many years ago—long before blogs were even a twinkle in a techno-geek’s eye.  Kind of a vague idea, sandwiched between the recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies and Tater Tot Casserole.

But, you know how life goes.   My big kids needed school supplies and a ride to somewhere.   My little ones needed bathing and a story before bed.    Dear Hubby needed clean underwear and his back rubbed.   Not to mention the house and garden and kids’ sports and activities—not to mention heart-breaking obstacles along the way—and, oh yeah, for a few years in there, I was working full-time, too, editing the church newsletter, teaching Sunday school, and singing in choir! 

Why, before I knew it, months turned into years.  The kids grew up (mostly) and got married, and we added in-laws to our family and eventually grand-chicklets.   Plus, I added a few sparkly hairs to my head along the way which (I guess) means I grew up some, too!    

Well.  Here I am today.   Only one child at home, which—by the way—has NEVER happened in our family before!   And what is this?  I actually have <whispering hopefully> TIME FOR WRITING!   

The writing idea gathered strength (and weight—as in a burden) with each new female addition to our family.   And as my own faith matured (and continues to mature), the desire to lead, teach and encourage other women grows stronger, too. 

One thing that is great about our God:  He doesn’t lay a burden on you without ALSO giving you a way to carry the burden!    So it’s neat to see how He works out the details—according to His own timeline—giving me now the time to write, after first sending friends and family who heartily cheer me on.          

So—let’s get cracking.   What IS this all about anyway?

TITUS TWO FRIENDS.   I’ve had a few of those in my day, and am very thankful I did.    They made a difference in my life, in my marriage, and with my children.  Their Godly examples taught me how to love my husband and my children.  They taught me that being happy at home whether I was changing a diaper or peeling potatoes was a God-pleasing way to occupy my time.  

Titus Two Friends:   a two-way relationship between older and younger women, to pass along God-pleasing wisdom concerning marriage and family life;  older women (teachers) encourage younger women (students) to see the joy of loving and serving their families.   

Looking at the essence of the passage (see above by the official title up-top), we see that older women are to “train the younger women.”  That doesn’t mean go do what you do and hope they catch on.   The use of the word “train” means a deliberate, purposeful act with thoughtful consideration of what is being passed along.

The Amplified Bible says it like this:  “Bid the older women …. to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble, so that they will wisely train the young women …to love their husbands and their children…”

One other thing:   Titus Two Friends have a long and lasting effect, and may alter the course of someone’s eternity.    We live in dangerous times.   It is important work we are doing in our families and in our homes.        

May God bless the efforts of this endeavor, and like the ripples on a pond when we throw in a pebble, may the words I write today and in the future bless you and those you love, through the ages, into all eternity.