Can our children's behavior in public be a testimony?
One of the employees at our local pharmacy must think that our family is very interesting. No matter where we are in the store, she is watching us. We are under her constant "surveillance" til we exit the door.
She is also very unfriendly to us. I have seen her smiling and chatting with the other customers, but her countenance does a 180 when we get to the check out. She doesn't even speak to me, much less the children, or make eye contact while I'm paying for my things. I've always smiled and tried really hard to be friendly to her, but it didn't work.
I was beginning to dread going into the store and I even considering changing pharmacies. Then, not long ago, my doctor called in prescription for me. When the children and I went to pick it up, guess who was at the check out?
"Oh, no!" I thought. "I don't want to deal with her today!" But I breathed a prayer for help and headed her way. She saw me coming and put my prescription on the counter. As I was paying for it, she was her usual no eye contact, unfriendly self...even glaring at the children, who were standing obediently beside me. Before I turned to leave, she leaned over the counter, looked me in the eye, and said, "Tell me the truth...you threaten them before you come in here, don't you?"
So that was it! She apparently was watching us to see if the children would misbehave. Her question caught me off-guard. I'd never been asked that before. But I heard my voice saying," No, I don't threaten them. We just discipline them the way we're supposed to, and they know what's expected of them."
She responded, "Well, they certainly are well-behaved." As I left the store that day, I was hoping things would be different from then on. Wrong. She's still hovering close by the whole time we're in the pharmacy. But that's ok. She's watched us enough to know that my children are going to behave themselves, and they aren't going to ransack the place. The next time she decides to talk to me, I'll be ready to share why we train our children as we do.
And I consider that, at least to a very small degree, shining the light.
Matthew 5:16 : "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
This post is linked up @ http://raisingmightyarrows.blogspot.com
http://www.homemaker-by-choice.com
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Genesis 22
Genesis 22 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture.
I love the 2 wonderful symbols of the Lord Jesus in this chapter:
1. Isaac - an only son, loved by his father, willing to do his father's will, and, in a figure, raised back from the dead
2. the ram - innocent victim died as a substitute for another, its blood was shed, it was a burnt offering, wholly consumed for God
Someone has said that, in providing the ram as a substitute for Isaac, "God spared Abraham's heart a pang He would not spare His own."
May we consider our Savior's resurrection every day, and not just at this time of year.
2 Corinthians 5:21 : "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
I love the 2 wonderful symbols of the Lord Jesus in this chapter:
1. Isaac - an only son, loved by his father, willing to do his father's will, and, in a figure, raised back from the dead
2. the ram - innocent victim died as a substitute for another, its blood was shed, it was a burnt offering, wholly consumed for God
Someone has said that, in providing the ram as a substitute for Isaac, "God spared Abraham's heart a pang He would not spare His own."
May we consider our Savior's resurrection every day, and not just at this time of year.
2 Corinthians 5:21 : "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Monday, April 18, 2011
Teaching Our Children
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 :
" And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. "
I chose these verses as the theme verses of our homeschool over 17 years ago. The Lord is telling us to teach His words to our children while we're sitting in our house, walking by the way, lying down, rising up. In other words, we should incorporate the Scriptures into our daily lives - at every opportunity. I was really challenged by these verses in the beginning. I struggled trying to find ways to apply Scriptures to whatever it was that I was doing with the children that day. But practice makes perfect, and over the years it has become easier. And the children seem to love the Scriptural applications. For example, when the children were helping me make bread, I asked them when leaven (or yeast) is mentioned in the Bible. They quickly tried to come up with an answer, which led to a discussion about it. I have gradually learned that there are ways to apply Scripture to everything that happens in our daily lives.
But we can't teach our children unless, according to verse 6, we know the Word, and have it in our "heart". Daily devotions are a must. I have mine in the morning before the children wake up and the house gets noisy. But I know some people who have them at night before bed. What's important is that we have them, not when we have them.
May the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16), so that we may teach our children and have "godly offspring". Malachi 2:16
" And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. "
I chose these verses as the theme verses of our homeschool over 17 years ago. The Lord is telling us to teach His words to our children while we're sitting in our house, walking by the way, lying down, rising up. In other words, we should incorporate the Scriptures into our daily lives - at every opportunity. I was really challenged by these verses in the beginning. I struggled trying to find ways to apply Scriptures to whatever it was that I was doing with the children that day. But practice makes perfect, and over the years it has become easier. And the children seem to love the Scriptural applications. For example, when the children were helping me make bread, I asked them when leaven (or yeast) is mentioned in the Bible. They quickly tried to come up with an answer, which led to a discussion about it. I have gradually learned that there are ways to apply Scripture to everything that happens in our daily lives.
But we can't teach our children unless, according to verse 6, we know the Word, and have it in our "heart". Daily devotions are a must. I have mine in the morning before the children wake up and the house gets noisy. But I know some people who have them at night before bed. What's important is that we have them, not when we have them.
May the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16), so that we may teach our children and have "godly offspring". Malachi 2:16
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring Cleaning
We're in the midst of spring cleaning here at our house. And with the urge to clean also comes the urge to de-clutter; everything from books to clothes to toys to household items. Anything not being used gets put into the bag destined for the local thrift store. For some reason, I feel as if have to de-clutter each room of the house before beginning to spring clean it. It's as if all the clutter is weighing me down, preventing me from making any progress in the cleaning department.
It reminds me of Hebrews 12:1: "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." The children and I were discussing this verse last week. I explained to them 2 things. First, I told them that the writer of Hebrews compares the Christian walk to a race. Second, I asked them which type of race would be easier to run: one where each runner had a to carry a weight (like kind their dad uses when he lifts weights), or a race where the runner doesn't have to carry anything. They knew the answer.
The Greek meaning for laying aside is to "cast off". The New Testament commentary by William McDonald says, "We must strip ourselves of everything that would impede us." And "weights are things that are harmless in themselves, and yet hinder progress; they could include material possessions, family ties, the love of comfort, etc.." and the sin mentioned in this verse is "..sin in any form.."
So, what about us? Are there things in our lives that we need to "lay aside" in order to grow spiritually and "run with endurance"? Let's cast it off, and "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
It reminds me of Hebrews 12:1: "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." The children and I were discussing this verse last week. I explained to them 2 things. First, I told them that the writer of Hebrews compares the Christian walk to a race. Second, I asked them which type of race would be easier to run: one where each runner had a to carry a weight (like kind their dad uses when he lifts weights), or a race where the runner doesn't have to carry anything. They knew the answer.
The Greek meaning for laying aside is to "cast off". The New Testament commentary by William McDonald says, "We must strip ourselves of everything that would impede us." And "weights are things that are harmless in themselves, and yet hinder progress; they could include material possessions, family ties, the love of comfort, etc.." and the sin mentioned in this verse is "..sin in any form.."
So, what about us? Are there things in our lives that we need to "lay aside" in order to grow spiritually and "run with endurance"? Let's cast it off, and "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Poem by Amy Carmichael
Father, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.
Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret, hidden peril.
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them.
Holy Father, save them.
From the worldling's hollow gladness
From the sting of faithless sadness.
Through life's troubled waters steer them,
Through life's bitter battle cheer them.
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.
And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide.
- Amy Carmichael
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.
Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret, hidden peril.
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them.
Holy Father, save them.
From the worldling's hollow gladness
From the sting of faithless sadness.
Through life's troubled waters steer them,
Through life's bitter battle cheer them.
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.
And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide.
- Amy Carmichael
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A Merry Heart
"A merry heart does good, like medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22
According to this verse, a merry heart is medicinal, or good for your health. But the opposite is also true: a broken spirit dries up the bones.
So which one do we have: a merry heart or a broken spirit?
Proverbs 15:13 : "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance." This verse tells us that how we are feeling on the inside will determine how we look on the outside.
Which type of person would you be more wiling to approach and talk to: a long-faced, grumpy person, or a cheerful, smiling one? I'd choose the cheerful one - no question. Everyone is drawn to a smile, including men. When our husbands get home from a long, stressful day at work, do we greet them with a grumpy, complaining countenance or a beautiful, glowing smile?
How about our children? Are we expressing joy in front of them or do we gripe and complain all day? They need to see a joyful mother. It will encourage them to be joyful. But having a complaining or spirit will be contagious as well.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22
And the joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10
May the Lord help us to have merry hearts and cheerful countenances.
According to this verse, a merry heart is medicinal, or good for your health. But the opposite is also true: a broken spirit dries up the bones.
So which one do we have: a merry heart or a broken spirit?
Proverbs 15:13 : "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance." This verse tells us that how we are feeling on the inside will determine how we look on the outside.
Which type of person would you be more wiling to approach and talk to: a long-faced, grumpy person, or a cheerful, smiling one? I'd choose the cheerful one - no question. Everyone is drawn to a smile, including men. When our husbands get home from a long, stressful day at work, do we greet them with a grumpy, complaining countenance or a beautiful, glowing smile?
How about our children? Are we expressing joy in front of them or do we gripe and complain all day? They need to see a joyful mother. It will encourage them to be joyful. But having a complaining or spirit will be contagious as well.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22
And the joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10
May the Lord help us to have merry hearts and cheerful countenances.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A Meek and Quiet Spirit
1 Peter 3:4 : "But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
I've been fascinated with this verse since the first time I read it. It says that a meek and quiet spirit are "in the sight of God of great price". The New King James version says that a meek and quiet spirit are "very precious in the sight of God." Wow! If these two character traits are "of great price" and "very precious" to God, they must be important. But what does it mean to be meek and quiet?
I asked my husband what he thought the words mean. He said meek means "strength, in check". Quiet means to be calm, peaceful, not troubled. Obviously, the Lord Jesus is the epitome of meekness and quietness. He could have called 12 legions of angels to deliver Him from going to the cross. (Matthew 26:53) But He kept His strength "in check" to secure our salvation.
I find it easy to be meek and quiet - when I'm asleep. But somehow it's much harder when I'm awake. I usually respond to my circumstances. (Remember what John MacCarthur said about being independent from circumstance??) I used to think that if someone/something was annoying me, I could be meek and quiet on the outside, but it was ok to be fuming on the inside. My thoughts were in turmoil.This is not true meekness and quietness; it's just faking it. A meek and quiet spirit stays calm on the outside and inside.
In Galatians 5:23, meekness is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. And I am slowly learning, with prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, to be calm and peaceful when things go wrong or I am provoked. This has been a long process. And it's only through prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit that I've made any progress at all.
I pray that my progress will continue and that I will have a meek and quiet spirit that is "very precious in the sight of God".
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."
I've been fascinated with this verse since the first time I read it. It says that a meek and quiet spirit are "in the sight of God of great price". The New King James version says that a meek and quiet spirit are "very precious in the sight of God." Wow! If these two character traits are "of great price" and "very precious" to God, they must be important. But what does it mean to be meek and quiet?
I asked my husband what he thought the words mean. He said meek means "strength, in check". Quiet means to be calm, peaceful, not troubled. Obviously, the Lord Jesus is the epitome of meekness and quietness. He could have called 12 legions of angels to deliver Him from going to the cross. (Matthew 26:53) But He kept His strength "in check" to secure our salvation.
I find it easy to be meek and quiet - when I'm asleep. But somehow it's much harder when I'm awake. I usually respond to my circumstances. (Remember what John MacCarthur said about being independent from circumstance??) I used to think that if someone/something was annoying me, I could be meek and quiet on the outside, but it was ok to be fuming on the inside. My thoughts were in turmoil.This is not true meekness and quietness; it's just faking it. A meek and quiet spirit stays calm on the outside and inside.
In Galatians 5:23, meekness is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. And I am slowly learning, with prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, to be calm and peaceful when things go wrong or I am provoked. This has been a long process. And it's only through prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit that I've made any progress at all.
I pray that my progress will continue and that I will have a meek and quiet spirit that is "very precious in the sight of God".
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."
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