Proverbs 28:25

"A person who always wants more stirs up fights. But anyone who trusts in the Lord will succeed." Proverbs 28:25 NIrV

This verse is printed from the New International Reader's Version, the NIV adapted for readability by children.  It is the Bible my kids use, and I think sometimes it says it so simple and plain. Sometimes I think it helps me as a mom to focus on God's Word in a way that will help me talk about it with my kids. I think I'll blog a little about Bible translations soon, so I'll leave it at this for right now.

I wrote this verse out today for our family to begin learning together. There has been so much fighting around here, lately. Isn't it easy for us to relate this verse to our kids? Sometimes it seems my kids are never satisfied. For example, just yesterday...I loaded the kids up and headed downtown to the library for a birthday party for Mudgy and Millie (a story about our town). We participated in the world's largest storybook read-in, recorded on Youtube. They saw some friends and hung out. We sang songs, had birthday cake, visited with the author and the sculptor (who has placed Mudgy and Millie statues all over town in the places mentioned in the book), got a birthday stamp in our signed book, and played on the playground with friends. Riley went home with a friend from there and was treated to Taco Time. We came home and ate lunch and took Clayton to a birthday party, where the other boys were treated to their own can of Mountain Dew and blue frosted sugar cookies. From there we headed to the mall (at their request) to just look around, and I even purchased a used Fighter Plane game from the game store for all the boys to share on their gaming system.

On the way home, at dinner time, I was asked, "Can we invite a friend over?" I answered that tonight was not a good night. We'd been gone all day and needed to get some rest.

Whine. Whine. Whine. Whine. "We never get to do anything fun. We've only gotten to do one fun thing today!" Whine. Whine. Whine. Whine.

Are you kidding me?

What a perfect example of this verse. So much whining and fighting happens in my home because the kids always want more. Good thing that never applies to their mom. Choke! Choke!

Oh my friends, just think for a moment about how much time we waste as moms, just wanting more for our lives. Now, I'm not talking about settling for less than God's best. I'm talking about that inner discontentment that is always tugging on us, wishing we could do something more with our lives than wipe noses or change diapers or load kids in and out of car seats. How often we think life would be better if we could just find a way to make money, have a career, be recognized for something the world seems to treasure more than motherhood.

But what happens when we allow that discontentment to take root? We start to fight for ourselves -  not for the will of God, but for ourselves. What happens when we focus on fighting for ourselves? No one and nothing else can make us happy. Suddenly, we find ourselves fighting with our husbands over how many nights they get to do something away from home vs. how many nights we get. Or who is getting the fair amount of financial investment towards their future. We begin to see our kids as setbacks and resent the time they take or the money it takes to raise them.

Then, there is the contrast. "..anyone who trusts in the Lord will succeed."

That word "succeed" there means "to thrive, to prosper, to be satisfied, be soaked, covered with fat."  Now, I don't know about being covered with fat, but the rest of it sure sounds great! Can you believe this verse. It is giving us a simple key to success. To be prosperous, to thrive, to be satisfied....we trust the Lord. So simple. Yet so challenging.

Are you wanting more today? Are you struggling to trust the Lord with where you are at in life?

I'm there often, and I don't think I'm totally alone. Let's pray through that together today. If you have time, share what God tells you.