As the heat of the month of August continues, we are reminded of how MUCH we love winter…right?
Well, at least I am reminded of this glorious fact. As well as the fact that I STILL believe that I would LOVE to live in a climate that primarily has very cool days and even cooler nights. Uhm…I’m thinking Canada? I used to think Alaska, but then I remembered all those months of “dark”…and I’m not a fan of complete dark. I like the sunlight. But then all those months of complete daylight would also be rough…
With thoughts of August, come thoughts of school. This blog is especially for the parents of children of all ages.
Parents, your children are about to return to school, and while you are jumping up and down (I trust not in FRONT of said children) at the prospect of your grocery bill and electric bill going down just a bit and the house to return to some form of quiet–may I just share my heart for a minute?
Those precious ones that have been entrusted to your care by our Father need your prayers. Daily. I mean, lay your hands on their sweet heads or hold their hands and pray for them…daily. Don’t let them leave the protection of your home without a prayer covering. I’m serious.
You are the one the God gave the instructions to “train up your child”…not the school system. While the school system does it’s job of teaching some things, there are critical things that the “system” just won’t teach your child. You are the one who should deliver on the training of moral standards; manners; ethics; faith, value of friends and family; right vs. wrong; life and death; healthy living; and I could go on and on but you’d turn the page.
My point is this: You have one chance. Don’t blow it.
You have one opportunity to show them the right thing to do at the right time. They watch your every move. They see you watch things on TV–and they learn “when I get a certain age, it will be okay to watch whatever my parents watch”. They hear you mock someone, or fuss about something, or become critical in certain situations—constantly, and there you go–a little “mini-you”.
Believe me–I know this one. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen “me” reflected as if looking in a mirror–while watching my daughters with their children. And I pray daily that they don’t make the same mistakes I did—by not being as consistent as I should have–among many other things. It takes more than reading a book on parenting. It takes “living a Book”–living a life pleasing to God.
The times in which you are raising your family is so much tougher than when we brought our first little one home from the hospital. I was scared then–that I couldn’t do it…but we prayed–we struggled through some of the “life events”–and came out on the other side! Not with any gold medals–but with two daughters who were taught right from wrong–and knew what it meant when their daddy’s eyes got big and serious (they called it his mean eyes). They know the value of faith. And how BIG God really is. (As much as our finite minds can comprehend.) Did they always do what we trained or taught them to do? No. But we knew they were taught the right way–the choosing of the “way” became up to them at a certain age–but prayer–is constant. Don’t ever stop praying.
If we could see–with our natural eye, the evil lurking in the spritual–we would wear our knees out in prayer! PRAY.
Let’s concentrate on being the godly role models our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews need. They are watching. Everything. Trust me–nothing gets by these baby-blues.
© The Knightly News 2007-2011
Jeff & Angie 