Sharing My Efforts to Apply God's Word to My Life as Mom. Wisdom Is the Principal Thing.
Jesus says(specifically in the context of serving others): If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17
We talk about this verse when we are angry.
When you are not obeying God, you will be unhappy.
What does God say will make us happy?
We also talk about this verse when we see other unhappy, unruly children.
Why is that child unhappy? (He probably doesn’t know what God says about being happy…)
“I don’t want to share!” said David with tears this morning, as I was helping him share with little sister.
Once again I am struck that David does not have the Holy Spirit residing within him. He has no reason to share except the fear of mom, or the recognition that life goes better when we are nice to others. Even when he shares (this really does happen), he is not being spiritual.
I do know, though, that what I do now does affect how he acts when he does accept Christ as his Savior. I can work on foundational truths that God will use, help to develop habits of actions that will help him in years to come.
So, what can I do? How can I help him?
The problem also reminds me of the need to be teaching foundational truths about God that will enable David to understand salvation. I want to teach him about God. I’m thinking about printing out some verses about God in large font on some bright paper, reading them at lunchtime, and then telling God thank you for what the verses say about God, in addition to thanking God for the food.
When my kids grow up, what will they say my life revolved around?
I’d like my life to revolve around the Bible. It’s one thing to tell them how important God’s word is, but if my life says otherwise, my words will not be convincing. I must also be modeling a love and passion for our God, a thirst for His Word, and a willingness to let every part of my life be governed by it.
How can I accomplish this?
Have you ever realized too late that you weren’t parenting well?
The other day at Walmart, we were in the checkout lane, and David and Bethel both were all over the place. Bethel kept touching the ATM card reader. They both were in and out of their seats. I was waiting for the checkout person to see if I could use a money order. Just as I finished paying for the groceries, I realized that I had repeated commands to them several times, and they both had ignored them. I felt myself irritated with them both, and really, I could have prevented it. Yes, I was distracted. Yes, they were bored. All it would have taken was a minute or two of my full attention to enforce my commands. I could have given them something productive to do. But, too late.
As I walked to the car, disgusted with myself, I felt the urge to lecture them both on how bad they were. Sigh. That wasn’t the answer. Maybe next time I’ll be better behaved, and they will probably follow along just fine.