The Magnifying Glass

Recently I was talking with someone who proudly shared that he does not accept things at their face value, but rather questions everything said to him by others. Personally, I think it is wise to try to be discerning and question the statements and beliefs of others, but how often do we apply the same scrutiny to our own lives? It is far easier to evaluate the practices and beliefs of those around me than to take the magnifying glass and turn it on myself.
God’s Word is the ultimate measure for determining my standard. If I only compare myself to those around me then I am completely missing the mark. I am a sinner. My husband is a sinner. My family and friends are all sinners. The only one that I can and should compare myself to is Jesus—He was the perfect example.

From time to time, I challenge myself to take a chunk of time during the day to evaluate what I am doing. Here’s a brief look into how I look at what I am doing:

7:00 a.m. Wake up to children tugging on me. Hmmmmm….. Is there a better way? Could I arise before the rest of my family to spend some quiet time in prayer and meditate on God’s Word to set my day up? Sure I do this in the evening after they go to bed, but there are several passages that point out morning devotions.


7:15 a.m. Get dressed and ready. Are the clothes that I am wearing modest or distracting from who I am called to be? Am I putting on a mask to try to be someone else or am I embracing who God made me to be? Do I put care into my appearance or do I look sloppy and frumpy?


7:30 a.m. Make breakfast. Are the ingredients that I am preparing wholesome? Our food supply is so tainted here with pesticides and hormones. Not to mention all of the issues surrounding genetically modified foods (GMOs) which firmly go against God’s wishes (Deut. 22:9, Lev. 19:19, Gen. 1:11-12).


8:00 a.m. Eat breakfast. Was the prayer to bless the food sincere or just part of the routine? How did I do with teaching table manners to my children during this time? Was my mind present in this family meal time or was I purposefully distracting myself with a magazine or newspaper?


8:30 a.m. Clean up and school prep. When I was cleaning up from breakfast did I do it with a servant’s willing heart or was I grudgingly going through the task? For school prep, did I seek out God’s wisdom and ask for His insights while working with my children?


9:00 a.m. Start schooling. Why do I home school? I believe this is the best way to follow God’s direction for educating my children. While I am working on the math, reading, history, science, spelling and so on did I always have it center on God? When I was faced with a stubborn moment (or longer) from a child did I respond with patience and was I willing to put aside the academics to spend time on character training? Did I push through the science lesson just to move things along or did I take the time to allow my child’s curiosity to be fulfilled. When I was interrupted (this happens a lot right now in a house with 6 adults and 6 children under 7) did I handle it graciously or did I become bitter and resentful?

As you can see this was just a glimpse into just part of my day. If I continued this throughout the remaining hours in the day, I would most certainly come across areas that I need to evaluate. Is this easy? Absolutely not! It takes effort and energy, but I don’t want to blindly go along with the rest of the world. Instead, God has outlined very practical ways to live out our lives in the Bible, which is why it is the standard by which I examine mine.