October Tributes

I love October. It’s one of my favorite months. My grandma’s birthday is October 16. She would’ve celebrated her 71st birthday this year had God not taken her home to be with Him in December of 1985. Although her death from an earthly perspective was tragic, from Scripture we are convinced it was gain (phil 1:21). Her life on earth was Christ and her life in heaven with Him is far better (phil 1:23). So during this month, I can’t help but remember her godly testimony and amazing influence on my life for eternity’s sake.

Also, Matt’s birthday is this month. I can’t write about him because it’s just too hard to do – honestly, I’m not eloquent enough to even touch on the kind of man he is. In scriptural categories, he meets (exceeds) the qualifications of what a godly man and Christian are supposed to be (and the true test of this is what he is in our home). And so it would only follow that in human categories – the deep heart needs that every woman hopes (but doesn’t really expect) to have met – he has done what my bruised and skeptical heart never thought possible. So as October 23 approaches, I am humbled at God’s giving him to me and want to remind him how thankful I am for him.

Last, Reformation Day is October 31. I’ve blogged about this before, but can’t let it go by in 2007 w/o remembering Martin Luther. What follows is a tribute to both him and Matt. Now that I think of it, I like the fieriness of both their personalities!

Luther on Diapers

Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason (which the pagans followed in trying to be most clever), takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labour at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves? What, should I make such a prisoner of myself? 0 you poor, wretched fellow, have you taken a wife? Fie, fie upon such wretchedness and bitterness! It is better to remain free and lead a peaceful. carefree life; I will become a priest or a nun and compel my children to do likewise.”
What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, “0 God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers. or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? 0 how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labour, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.”
Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil’s fools.
Martin Luther, “The Estate of Marriage”(HT: Cranach)