Wholehearted Singing

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

I recently read the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. A story I’ve read many times before. But this time, it struck a chord. Unsure of the reason, I read the story again. Then I read the devotion that some pastors at my church had written on it. And I recognized the chord.

It’s the main chord in the song I’ve been learning this month. The song of wholeheartedness. I’ve been realizing lately that in several areas of my life I’ve been doing enough to just get by.

Motherhood is at the very top of that list. I’ve been seeing a pattern in the way that I mother my two daughters. The pattern is one of almost survival mode. It entails just going through the motions. No intentionality involved. It involves doing the minimum to get through each day. Looking to the end of the day when my husband gets home so I can concentrate on my own life and getting the things done that I “need” to complete. The problem is, if I don’t change this course I’m on, I’m going to find myself walking out of a college dorm room wondering what the heck happened to my little girls. And they’ll be waving goodbye to me with the minimal amount of real life values and childhood family memories.

I admit this is extreme. I mean, my children are happy and very well-adjusted little girls. But the truth is, if I don’t wake up now and start being intentional with the time I have with them, in each and every today, I’m going to end up missing it all! And I don’t want to miss it. I want to be the mother they need. The reason God gave them to me instead of someone else. I want to train them to love and follow Jesus wholly. I want to love them like they need to be loved. Like God has purposed me to love them. I want to enjoy this calling of motherhood. Wholeheartedly.

And that’s where Ananias and Sapphira fell short. They were pretending. Like I’ve been pretending. They were trying to fool Almighty God. Trying to appear to be doing something they weren’t actually doing. Like I’ve been trying to appear to be doing the very best job I can at being a mom. Only, the truth is, I haven’t been. I’ve been focused on the wrong stuff — MY stuff. Everything I want to get done in any given day. Instead of focusing on the job that God has given me to do. The true nurture of my children, whether that be spiritual, physical, mental or emotional. The focus of doing this job called motherhood to the best of my ability. And finishing the song that started with the chord of wholeheartedness.