4:29 p.m. Today's project was to go to Disneyland with Steve, after running three errands in the west end of Riverside. Do you ever feel tired before you even get on the road? That was me, even though I was eager to go out and have fun on this beautiful sunny day.
Upon arrival at the parking structure, we were ushered up to the rooftop parking--a bad sign for sure! "It's going to be crowded," I groused, because that was the worst parking space we've gotten yet--and on a Thursday, no less!! And when I saw tons of school age kids, that was it! As a mother of five who ALWAYS made her kids go to school, and a retired teacher who has had to consistently organize make-up work, I'm pretty militant on the subject of school attendance!
My observations triggered a conversation with Heidi, Pavel about how children are not being raised with the values with which we raised ours--obedience, abiding by law and rules, seeing their place in the family as important and important in the larger society. "Coincidentally," Pastor Chuck Smith was mentioning these facts on "Pastor's Perspective" earlier today on KWVE Christian radio.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," Proverbs 22:6 says. Even the best kids don't do all the obeying they should, because we are also told that "foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child." (v.15) But we parents are the ones who come before the Lord accepting the responsibility to raise and protect our children and follow God's ways--the Bible--in our homes. May the Lord speak to this generation of "me first" parents, some of whose 1.5 precious darlings have everything but structure and discipline in their lives; it's just too stressful to confront bad behavior! Heidi and Pavel commented that they are so glad both sets of parents never let them get away with anything--they did what they were told!!
I began featuring household scenarios yesterday, and wanted to show the Sioux Indian bride and groom who've graced our bedroom dresser for more than a decade. They are among my favorite dolls because of the authentic details and the love they represent. And although I have Cherokee Indian blood in my veins (from North Carolina), I appreciate the Plains Indians' heritage of courage and skills. Whenever I taught 5th grade American History, my bride and groom were carefully transported to my classroom to provide "realia," and other 5th grade classrooms would be invited over as well. (Then we would enjoy the buffalo hunt scene from "Dancing with Wolves!")
But even more important than the dolls is the book in front of them, Dr. James Dobson's Love for a Lifetime. As I flip open our copy, I see clipped-out articles on husbands and wives and cards. There are even loose Bible pages whose origin is puzzling--although these pages of Ephesians Chapters 4 and 5 on relationships in the Body of Christ certainly apply to marriage! From the wording, it seems to be the Amplified Bible. Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ."
Dr. Dobson writes in this vein as well, on page 58:
What will you do when when unexpected tornadoes blow through your home, or when the doldrums leave your sails sagging and silent? Will you pack it in and go home to Mama? Will you pout and cry and seek ways to strike back? Or will your commitment hold you steady? These questions must be addressed now, before Satan has the oportunity to put his noose of discouragement around your neck. Set your jaw and clench your fists. Nothing short of death must ever be permitted to come between the two of you. Nothing!
That is the vow we take when we stand before our families and society--and for us, the church--to stay together for a lifetime! Ephesians 5:31 in the Amplified version says, " A man must leave his father and mother when he marries, so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and the two shall be one."
In other words, love for a life time!!
AMEN!!!
ReplyDelete