Commendation: Recommend by God

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1 KJV

I sat down to write about the second gift of Christmas on the third day of December. I looked around and saw the stacks of boxes still sitting around my living room from decorating. I remembered the sink full of dirty dishes I needed to clean. Then I realized how tired I was from getting children to bed while my husband worked late. I wanted to give up. I did not think I was a good mother or wife, and I did not think I could fulfill God’s call on my life. If there is a mother out there who has not ever felt this way, please, come to Mothers of Preschoolers and share your secret with the rest of us.

I may not have the secret for keeping these feelings away, but I know the secret for dealing with those feelings when they come. The secret is found in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” One definition of condemn is “to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service.”1 When we tell ourselves that we cannot serve God or fulfill our role as mothers and wives, we are condemning ourselves. That is not what God says about us.

If God did not give us condemnation, what did He give us? Well, the opposite of condemnation is commendation, which means “the act of commending; recommendation; praise.”2 God recommends us. He says that we can do it, and He will help. He says, “With God all things are possible.”

This is such an overwhelming time of year for mothers. We want our houses to look beautiful. We want our children to have the perfect Christmas. We want to help others so our children can learn that it is not just about having a perfect Christmas. There are ornaments to hang, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, and Christmas programs to attend. Let’s not let the busyness of Christmas overwhelm you to the point of giving up on whatever God has called you to do. He believes in you. Believe in yourself. That is what God spoke to my heart, and it is true for you, too.

Sources for Definitions
1 American Psychological Association (APA): condemn. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved December 04, 2013, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
condemn. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn (accessed: December 04, 2013).
Modern Language Association (MLA):
"condemn." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 04 Dec. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn>.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):
Dictionary.com, "condemn," in Dictionary.com Unabridged. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: December 04, 2013.
BibTeX Bibliography Style (BibTeX)@article {Dictionary.com2013,
    title = {Dictionary.com Unabridged},    month = {Dec},    day = {04},    year = {2013},
    url = {http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn},}

2 American Psychological Association (APA): Commendation. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved December 04, 2013, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Commendation
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
Commendation. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Commendation (accessed: December 04, 2013).
Modern Language Association (MLA):
"Commendation." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 04 Dec. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Commendation>.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):
Dictionary.com, "Commendation," in Dictionary.com Unabridged. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Commendation. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: December 04, 2013.
BibTeX Bibliography Style (BibTeX)
@article {Dictionary.com2013,
    title = {Dictionary.com Unabridged},
    month = {Dec}, day = {04},year = {2013},
    url = {http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Commendation},}Get Word of the Day