Lead Me On

I would have posted sooner today, but I was reading in my spot on the living room couch, and our sweet kitty Greta needed to curl up on my lap. She was so warm, and purring happily, so I sat a while longer. I'll try to hold on to that memory while I'm shoveling again the couple of inches of snow we got last night. I can't believe the snow this year.

I am very slowly making my way through the book of Joshua, (if you need to understand why I'm so slow, click here) and I'm beginning to get used to the Old Testament-ish-ness of it. There's just a lot of killing, battling, slaughtering. You don't read about a lot of that in the New Testament.

The book of Joshua is a picture of the man Joshua's leadership. Last year, I was the president of the PSO (like the PTA) at our kids' school, so I was in an official leadership position. (I actually signed up to be vice-president to my friend Karen's presidency, and then she had the nerve to move to Ohio in August. So, I kind of backed my way into that great leadership role.) This year, I am an anonymous new mom at a giant school. I haven't thought of myself as being in leadership at all this year. In my internet adventures, exploring other people's blogs around the world, I think I've changed my mind, though.

As a mom, I am in a leadership position. I may not feel like I'm a grown-up yet, or like a leader, but that don't make it so. Scott and I are the leaders, 'cuz we're the oldest ones here. If you've read anything I've written here before, you know I take the role and responsibility of mothering very seriously, I do. The idea of tacking the word "leader" to it just struck me this morning, however.

And I am encouraged by the model of Joshua. In chapter 10, the Israelites are about to enter into battle. God says to Joshua in verse 8 (and actually, He says this a lot, throughout the book), "Do not be afraid of them, for I will give you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you." So then there's lots of killing and what not, and just before this battle is over, Joshua says to his men in verse 25, "Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the LORD is going to do this to all of your enemies."

Here's what I saw in this story: God tells Joshua that He's with Him. Joshua puts his trust in God. Joshua fights the battle, trusting and being strong. He trusts God himself, and he reminds his men where they can put their trust--in God. My role as mom--a co-leader in this house--requires that I put my trust in God, and spread it to my kids. I need to tell them and show them. They are watching, and I am leading, whether I mean for it to happen or not. So with God's help, I'm gonna' be strong and courageous, baby!