Blindsided

SOME DAYS I STILL get blindsided by the seemingly harmless lies the world tells us about motherhood. It happens often when I’m talking to another mom I don’t know well. As I search for a common topic of conversation, one thing that rises to the top is our complaints—about our mutual unwashed hair or the minivan life. Despite all the wonderful things about motherhood, the complaints are often the loudest. And the reality is, this does a number on my view of motherhood.

If we are living like the world, we will miss out on the abundant motherhood God has for us. God’s design means less yelling, more joy, less chaos, and fewer guilt-ridden moments—not to mention refreshment that the world cannot possibly offer us.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). The temptation to conform to the world isn’t something new, as we can see from this passage. In fact, this pressure is even older than the book of Romans. I’m talking Old Testament old.

We read about David’s son Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-2: “King Solomon loved many foreign women. . . . The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.”

I remember being shocked when my mom told me how Solomon had made some bad choices. I knew about his many wives but thought this was a cultural thing. How had I glossed over that major detail? Wasn’t this the guy who chose wisdom over riches? The one who built the Temple? What happened? I went back and read his full story in the Bible, and suddenly it made sense. He conformed to the patterns of the world around him instead of renewing his mind in truth. He disobeyed the Lord and loved the women of the world, and as a result, his heart turned to their gods.

We can be good Bible-study girls, with our color-coding systems and our prayers organized in journals, but if we fail to protect our hearts, we will still take a wrong turn (which often starts with just a slight veer).

It’s hard to guard our hearts against conforming to the world, because the world looks very normal. Hello! We’ve lived our entire existence here. It feels like home even though for the believer it’s not.

What does it look like to stay vigilant and protect our hearts from the ways of the world? How do we let the truth in all that studying and reading we’ve done change the way we live? How do we stay alert when a lie comes prowling around dressed as a normal thought?

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). I’ve heard this passage countless times. I know it inside and out. But one day as I read it, the urgency in the words hit me in a new way.

We live in a world that has instant and constant access to us. We have very few natural barriers for what comes in. TV shows, blog posts, everyday conversations, and social media in every form bombard us with what the world believes.

God’s Word calls us to create proper barriers around our hearts and minds. This kind of guarding requires action on our part. If we sit back, the boundaries won’t accidentally fall into place. The world has no interest in creating healthy limits for us. But the good news is we don’t do it on our own. The Holy Spirit is at work in us and equips us to do what we could never accomplish on our own. Isn’t it empowering to know that we don’t have to be victims of this world? In God’s strength, we are strong and capable enough to knock out whatever goes against his truth.

ACTION STEP

Evaluate what messages are coming in to your mind today. Which of these messages need to be stopped?

PRAYER

Father, thank you for equipping me to guard my heart well. Help me to remember that I do not have to be a victim of the world around me. Give me the courage to shut off access to the things that drag me down and separate me from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

MORNING QUESTIONS

TAKEAWAY TODAY | When do you tend to have the most trouble guarding your heart (when you’re on Instagram, when you’re talking with friends, when you’re watching Netflix, etc.)?

Who can keep you accountable in setting up some boundaries against the world’s input?

DREADING TODAY | Is there anything you’re dreading today?

REDEFINING TODAY | If so, what is another way you can view that thing you’re dreading?

ASKING GOD TODAY | What request are you bringing before the Lord today?

EVENING QUESTIONS

REFLECTION | Were there any lies you noticed trying to creep into your mind today? How did you respond?

LITTLE VICTORIES | Where did you see God show up even in small ways, reminding you that you aren’t alone?

WHITE FLAG MOMENTS | When did you want to hide or escape today?

MEMORY OF THE DAY | What do you want to relish and thank God for?