While doing my Beth Moore study today I came across this profound set of sentences: JESUS is the author of CONNECTION.    SATAN is the author of  ISOLATION.  Wow!   How many of us purposely isolate ourselves from the world (church, Sunday school, youth, family, friends, etc.)?  Is this of God or a trap of satan?  It's definitely worth thinking about. 

I'm reminded of a friend of mine who homeschools and has now pulled out of the church to go find a home church where her kids are by her side at all times.  She blamed every bad attitude her teenage daughter ever had on the one or two times her daughter actually attended the youth Sunday school.  (No thought of the fact that her daughter has sin living in her, like the rest of us).  Now her daughter is whining about not having any friends.  Where will she look now and what kind of attitude will she have?

I'm also reminded about how I've isolated myself from doing anything that is just for me.    I don't go to meetings during the day (such as Women's ministry meetings or mom's activities) that don't include the kids or would cause me to leave my kids at home, doing their work on their own for 2 hours.   Why?  I feel guilty that I'm not here, being the teacher God's called me to be.  I don't go to Wednesday night Bible study because I don't care for the AWANAS program (and neither do my kids).   Therefore, I go on Sunday mornings and that's it.

It also brings to mind posts I've read here  (HSB) asking the question "do we really need friends?"   Is is really biblical NOT to have friends?  I don't think it is.   Is it really biblical to isolate our children from other godly kids? 

Anyway, the list goes on.  The point being that it's stupid that I sometimes feel isolated, when I'm doing it to myself!  Is this from God or a trap of satan?   It's definitely something to ponder.

• Post A Comment! • Send to a Friend!

Posted by SheilaG

I totally agree--we do need people!

I have known a homeschooling family who have gradually become hermits over the last few years, hardly ever getting out to anything and worshipping at home. It's kind of scary, because I think their theology is also getting a little strange.

We do need friends, but it is hard. I know what you mean about the Awana program. My kids didn't always enjoy the programs at church, and my daughter last year didn't like youth group. We switched churches and now it's much better and she's found a bunch more friends.

What I've found, though, is that you have to seek out people who will encourage you and challenge you, and then take the initiative to get together. They may not all go to your church, but have them over for dinner. Play board games altogether!

The junior/senior high girls in our homeschooling group get together frequently to watch Jane Austen movies, and they're developing good friendships that they don't necessarily have at church because people don't understand how we live. But none of these girls goes to the same church. We're all separate, so we have to make the effort to get together.

We do need each other, and let's thank God that we live in a country where there are other believers that we can find easily!

• Permanent Link