No Strings Attached

                                                 No Strings Attached

Well Mom our day is coming, Sunday, Mothers Day.  We all want to be loved and appreciated.  The last words I spoke to my Mom before she died was what a wonderful Mother she had been and how much I loved her.  My daughter wrote a post the other day about how much she appreciated me.  Even before then I began to question my motive for caring for and trying to be such a good mother to my children.  The Spirit was working in my heart.  Then my mentor mentioned strings and Paul Tripp wrote an article today about the Idol of Appreciation.  I knew that was me.  My heart was so thrilled to hear my daughter write of her amazement at what I did effortless seemingly.  Why is that?

What happens to my heart when I don't get the appreciation I think I so deserve.  Someone said you don't know an alcoholic until you take away the alcohol.  When I don't get the response I think I deserve from my children where does my peace and joy go?  

I use to always feel guilty because I couldn't go home like I wanted.  What about when they don't come home as much as you would like?  What if their words criticize you?  What if they don't do the things for you, you hoped they would?  What if they don't turn out like you planned and not appreciating their parents?

Are there strings attached to my serving and loving my family.  Do I do to get them to do what I want?  What manipulate, who me?  What is the condition of my heart?  What am I serving ultimately.  Who ultimately is doing the serving through me.  Am I doing it to the glory to God or to me?  Am I doing it because I love God or because I want, what I want, when I want it?  The praise of man.

God create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me.  The older I get the more I see this Christian life is impossible for me to live.  God calls us to do the impossible.  Not only are we called to cooperate with what He is doing but He lives it through us.  We love, serve and minister to our family and others because it is Him doing the ministering, the loving through us.  We are giving each other Jesus.  We are His hands, His feet.  It is His compassion through His heart.  We have the words and the very mind of Christ going out to others.  It is Christ in us, the hope of His magnificent glory.