SOME ANNOYANCES

Last night I was in Publix and was checking out a display of bestselling books. I picked up a coffee table size book which was a compilation of favorite articles from Oprah's magazine - O. As I thumbed through it one article caught my eye. It was an interview Oprah did with a mother of nine children. Threaded all throughout this interview was this concern on Oprah's part that this mother was not getting enough time for herself, even though all the kids were in preschool or public school, and that this mother was losing her sense of self. I know I shouldn't expect Oprah to have a biblical worldview but this subtle theme of noble selfishness really bothers me. It bothers me even more when I hear it coming from Christians. What about the words of Christ when he said that those who wish to save their lives would lose them but those who lose their lives for His sake will find them? While I think we all need to take care of ourselves as mothers, especially those who have a lot of children, the obsession with making sure your children don't rob you of your personal time or your sense of self is such a lie from Satan. What this argument really says is that someone who invests their whole selves in their family and children are just abnormal and need to get a life. People like Oprah want to make sure that your precious children aren't robbing you of your sense of self, whatever that is. How dare they?

My other annoyance comes in the form of a question. Do you memorize Scripture? Have you ever memorized a whole book or a chapter? Why do I feel embarrassed to admit this to other Christians? The other night I was listening to John MacArthur on the radio. He was giving a brief biographical sketch of John Calvin. I had no idea the suffering he went through. Not only did he suffer spiritual persecution but he suffered from physical suffering (migraines, gout, etc.) and the death of his infant child and his wife several years later. But he still preached and worked tirelessly. As MacArthur went on to detail how much he preached - he took six years to preach through Acts - I felt like such a slug. Is it just me or are we slouching whiners as a culture? We think that if we are suffering from something this gives us an excuse to not work. Calvin worked through his sufferings up until death in his mid 50s. This mindset of laziness that I see in myself and this culture and in the church really annoys me.

Final question - when you read of or hear of people like Calvin or Edwards who accomplished so much despite their sufferings do you

a) feel guilty
b) feel awed
c) feel motivated
d) all of the above.