The Most Important Job

I had been counting down for several days on Facebook and Twitter for this past weekend. The Resolved Conference 2011 has now come and gone. It's so hard to believe. Unfortunately, the blog post pertaining to this will have to wait for tomorrow. There are several blogs I wish to write, but to take on the task of combining them all into one long, hard-to-sit-through blog seems unreasonable. So the blogs you can be on the look out for over the next few days include (but may not be limited to):

The Resolved Conference
An Upcoming Move for the Orozco's
Doctrine/Theology
Sin

To my Facebook friends, you can see why I said I was beat! All those topics have been occupying large rooms in my head and heart over the last few days (DAYS!). But for now, this blog will be about the first three days of our week away, but more specifically about our take-away from them.

This last week has been somewhat of a tumultuous experience for me and Sergio. We have both had opportunity to deny ourselves individually for the sake of the other, and the opportunity to deny ourselves as a couple for the sake of the Kingdom of God. I guess I'll start from the beginning.

We were invited to join a family from our fellowship group of Grace Community Church on their camping trip. This family, the Morice's, have been a beacon of Christ-centeredness to us for the several weeks that we've had the privilege of knowing them. Alex and Jane came to our apartment for dinner a while ago and I think we can honestly say that they were two of the most impacting dinner guests we've ever had the blessing to host. Immediately, they displayed love and graciousness and were eager to make the time meaningful and centered on the purpose of building one another up in the faith. They challenged us to carefully examine areas of our lives in which we had become complacent, not for the intention of conforming us to any particular conviction necessarily, but to be committed to knowing and being clear of the motives behind the decisions we make.

So after some preparation, Sergio and I left on Tuesday morning with the Morice's to Lake Sabrina (pronounced Sah-brye-nah - that's important to the locals, it seems) for a few days of fishing and relishing in the beauty of creation. It was indeed beautiful. (And of course, I forgot to bring my camera with me to the coffee shop that I am currently sitting in). The three days we were there was out of my comfort zone. I'm a city girl through and through. I'm spoiled with the luxuries I have been afforded, and I know it. So these few days, being devoid of running water of any kind, were definitely opportunities for me to realize that I do live a pampered existence.

I'm one of those people who need to shower every morning (and depending on the day, sometimes again in the evening) if I'm to feel comfortable. I very intentionally used that word: "comfortable." I need to be reminded (and often) that my joy cannot be dependent on comforts. In every situation, the Lord's abundant grace is more than sufficient for me: What a foundation for joy!

I know what you're thinking, "So you miss a shower for a couple of days, what's the big deal?" I have very (very) oily skin and scalp. So for most people, by the third day of not washing their hair, their roots would be oily right? Well, by the third day, all but the last inch or two of ALL my hair was covered in oil. Charming. I don't want this to be read as complaining because that's the furthest thing from my mind for this reason: those few days were some of the most evident portrayals of Godly living by an entire family unit and Sergio and I feel that we had been given a treasure to experience that.

Alex and Jane have three adolescent children. Troy, Clint, and Lacey were some of the most darling teenagers I've ever met. They all play instruments, are kind and generous, and are respectful and honor their parents. I say all this not with the intention to solely credit Alex and Jane for the hard work they invested in their children, although that is evident. I say this to point to their motivation for raising their children to fear the Lord: it pleases God for Christians to raise their children in Christ-likeness. Everything about a Christian's life should radiate Christ. This includes the upbringing of children.

Here's why it was a blessing for Sergio and me to see this. Neither one of us was brought up to fear the Lord. Sergio was brought up in an apathetically catholic home with little mention of the glories of God. While I was raised in a Christian home, I would say I was brought up to be a "christian" in the moralistic sense. What I mean is that I was taken to church regularly, encouraged to pray, be kind to others, respect my elders, and be obedient because "that's what Christians do." Is this what Christian children do? Yes. Well, at least, they should. But all other children should do these too. Except for the regular church attendance, and prayer before all meals, little distinguished my upbringing from that of any other attentive and well-meaning parents. I don't remember being challenged spiritually, being instructed to examine the depravity of my human heart, or be comforted with the saving truth of the gospel. I'm not saying these things never happened in my home. But I can say with honesty that they didn't happen regularly enough to leave anything close to a lasting impression.

I don't want to appear ungrateful to my parents. In their behavior, they displayed the characteristics of regenerated believers. My father loved (and still very much loves) my mother with a sacrificial heart and aims to live with her in an understanding way as prescribed by Ephesians 5. And my mother serves my dad graciously and willingly daily. She takes her relationship with him seriously as her highest priority in this life. For those examples, thank you so much, Mom and Dad.

And thank you for taking me to Grace church regularly as the manifestation of your desires to seek the Lord. That I was placed in a God-exalting and scripture-saturated church before birth is one of the greatest evidences of God's sovereignty in my life.

Sergio and I were so encouraged by Alex and Jane's example in their faithfulness to raise children according to biblical instruction. We're so excited for the day the Lord wills to bless us with that opportunity. We're also blessed to be in a church where examples like Alex and Jane are not rare or far in between. We love watching Matt and Nelly Feldi raise their children, Obie and Micaela this way as well. I've had the joy to observe our pastor's wife, Katherine Rourke be a super great and godly mom to her FOUR children!

All these examples serve as a testimony to the goodness and grace of God and are ultimately for his glory.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:14-15