Above The Sun

Our pastor has been doing an amazing series on Ecclesiastes.

The first week, he pointed out how the writer of Ecclesiastes laments about life "under the sun."

"What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?"

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;

there is nothing new under the sun."

When we live "under the sun," we live trapped by life, under it's demands and shortcomings.

But life beyond the sun, above the sun, is lived with God and from His perspective.

Yesterday he addressed the end of chapter 6 where Solomon comes to the end of himself.  He cannot change, he cannot increase, he cannot explain why - he has reached the end of himself and finds all meaningless under the sun.

When we reach the end of our self, we are done.

He words hit me, "I'm done."

How many times have I felt that way about my children?

"I'm done."

Their endless bickering, arguing over things that don't matter or even exist, the constant up and down from the table, the multiple requests to brush their teeth, "she touched me," "he's on my side,"

 "I got this first!"  

Everyday.

The same thing.

I'm done.

As my pastor talked about feeling "done" when you come to the end of yourself, living under the sun, I quickly realized that I have come to the end of myself with my children.  The end of my battle against them.  The end of my ideas of discipline.  The end of my lectures.  The end of my patience!

I've been living under the sun with my kids and getting rather frustrated as
I've come to the end of my rope!

But what about above the sun?

What about God's perspective?

What about the meaning and purpose God breathes into parents

from above the demands and limits of this world?

When I am trapped under the sun and thinking of my children with an earthly perspective, in the whining and complaining of the moment, I am quickly frustrated and done!

But if I live above the sun with a heavenly perspective of my children, I know they are God's precious creation and God has empowered me to love them, guide them and train them up in the way they should go.  God has given me His Spirit to guide me and counsel me in my parenting and with His help, I am not trapped and frustrated, but can properly discipline my children and point them to Jesus.

That's my challenge for this week -

Live ABOVE the sun as a Mom.