Intentionality

Intentionality...to be purposeful on purpose. This is how I defined Intentional to my children today as we discussed Christmas.  I asked them "Why do we celebrate Christmas." They answered "to honor Christ's birth."  I then asked them "What do we do to honor Christ's birth?"  And they reminded me how we read the Biblical account of the birth of Christ, sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and even have a birthday cake.  Then I posed yet another question..."How many times do we do that during the Christmas season?"

ONCE, on Christmas!

Being intentional about not participating in the secular bustle of Christmas, has NOT, by default, made us intentional about celebrating and honoring the birth of our Saviour, Jesus. Sure, we talk about Jesus...but that is NORMAL in our home.  It is our daily conversation.  We try to focus on others and how we can bless them with gifts instead of making lists and being self centered during this season. BUT, we have to purposefully make a choice to be purposeful! We must choose to, on purpose, honor Christ. As a parent, I want to have traditions that kindle a flame for Christ...middle ground is gray, stagnant water and can lull us to sleep!

This year we have been brainstorming ways we can be intentional about honoring Christ this season...what that means and how to tangibly remember the Awesome God we serve. I know as we seek to bring honor to Jesus, he will show us how!

I am still learning. I don't care for the middle ground. I am pressing in.  As I draw near to God...He chastens me.  He burns away the chafe. He purifies me more...and yet I see my need for Him grow stronger.

A Holy Experience

One of my favorite blogs is Ann Voscamps blog... Holy Experience. Ann is an incredible writer, photographer and a is very passionate about Christ and being FULL of Christ in our daily lives....

If you have a heart for others in need...or your heart is hard and you are happy living in mediocrity...I recommend this read. I hope you are moved...

When you're dying to live radical: Fight Middle Ground blog entry

Admonishment

As I read in Ephesians 6 this morning, I read verse 4 that says "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."  I have read this verse many times and even quoted it in jest to my dad as a kid...but today I was wondering, what does admonishing mean? I had always remembered it being translated as instruction, and although nurture means tutorage and training, admonish does not. 

So I looked up the Greek word. "calling attention to, i.e. (by impl.) mild rebuke or warning". That is different. The directions from the Lord are to tutor or train our children and call attention with MILD rebuke! I know that I would rather the Lord show me in his Word how I am supposed to live, and give me ample tries to walk out His instructions, than for Him to tell me once and then strike me down if I fail.  I am thankful for a God that shows men and women how to love their children.  I am thankful that even when we mess up, He is Faithful and can remedy the situation if we turn to Him for help. I am thankful for a husband who leads with a soft hand and words of instruction.

I am praying for Fathers...that they would have a heart of instruction and mild rebuke after God heart.  That a hard hand and a loud bark is not what our children remember about their Dads. We are Earthly example of our Creator.

My disclaimer:

(I don't think that the term mild rebuke means you simply lecture your children on what all they need to be doing and aren't.  Using time-out, redirection and even spanking...I know...the S word...are all tools that help train and rebuke children. The Bible does say in  Proverbs 22, 23 and 29 that spanking is a tool to be used in discipline. I think to do that Mildly means to not act out of our anger and to use it WHEN appropriated by "in your face" rebellion, not just because the child made a mistake.)

Fingerprints

Often I forget what a great impact I have on my children!  I know...sounds crazy doesn't it? But really, there are moments that we stop and stand back and can see the direct fingerprint we have had on our children. The way they stand when they are talking or pace while on the phone.  The way they clean up a room and order their day.  Just this morning, as I got up to read I spotted a checklist my daughter made for herself to reminder her of the important things she needed to accomplish...her mother dead out!! Heehee.

I am pausing to consider God's fingerprint on their lives...

More important than how to make a checklist and follow it out...is having a heart for Christ.  Have I influenced my children to live for Christ simply by my actions?  Do I speak about following Him and let my actions refute my words?  Am I leaving a fingerprint of hypocrisy?  I pray that I am not, but I know in some areas I am.

Actions DO speak louder than words.  I hope my children SEE me doing God's will, following after Him with reckless abandon and tasting that He IS good.  I want my children to have the fingerprint of a Godly mother...because they will, after all, have my fingerprint no matter what I chase after.

Actually, my fingerprint will continue on...

"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation." Luke 1:49-50

Obedience Is a Heart Issue

“The Lord does not give me rules, but he makes His standard very clear. If my
relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with
Him – namely, myself. If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random
circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of
God.” Oswald Chambers

I read this as a caption on a page yesterday. It touched me profoundly. The book I was reading was about parenting and the different changes in the Seasons of childhood. When I read this quote, I instantly thought about my relationship to my Heavenly Father, but as I read the chapter on transitions,sympathy, discipleship and not moving into legalism as a parent...I began to apply this quote to my children.

Our children need to know that we love them, no matter what. That we can, and do, validate their feelings. (Of course, this does not mean allowing them to get away with wrong actions because we "understand" why they may have acted out!) The point is that even the most compliant child may not be obedient because they love us. It could be that the quiet, compliant and reserved child we perceive as obedient and "good" has a serious heart issue.

If we, as parents, do not hold the hearts of our children, who does? Have you asked yourself that lately? Our hearts desire as parents should be to have our children obey or carry out our wishes when we are not looking because they love, and honor us...not simply because we have a hard swing or a loud bark.

Take time to KNOW your children, relate to them and earn their trust and their hearts....It's worth the investment!