I'm preparing to teach a workshop on Connective Communication.  As I sit and let my fingers on the key board sort out my thoughts I realize there is so much to this that I will not share.  Connecitve Communication is so important for us to teach but it's so much more than communication that needs to be dealt with. 

In our society today I see people are forgetting how to have relationships or they never did know in the first place.  So many families are torn apart by divorce, wrong priorities, selfishness and the whole "what's in it for me" attitude.  I see it in even the "good" families.  Children are constantly being taught to build their self esteem.  Parents are always seeking to do what is best for them -- the kids will survive.  In the paper or on the news all kinds of groups are trying to push their agenda because "it's what is most important or best."  NO ONE is thinking of what might be God's best for another person or group.  We rent apartments and the poor young people (ages 25-30) who have rented from us are a mess.  They don't have any alliegences or roots at all.  Whatever feels good now is what they do and when things crash and burn it someone else's fault.  Seeing this has been an incredible object lesson to my children.  These people have no real connection to anything...not family, not friends, not their job, not any goals, not God.  They are just floating, hurting, lost.  My daughter pointed out that she now understands what it means to have no moral base and what the firm foundation of Christ does for us.  I rejoice that my kids are learning but I am so sad for the people who are the object of our lessons.

What can we do?  Teach our children to value the people God has put in their lives.  My husband and I have worked so hard to establish a family team mentality.  We are in this together and together we will succeed.  In our home even the littlest kids have responsiblities and are important.  We work hard together and then we play and celebrate together.  We stay committed to God's Word and the life that He has called us to, no matter how difficult it may seem to others.  We may  not have much materially but we are solid in our relationship with God and each other.  I've never had to teach self-esteem because my children know who they are in Christ and that has given them purpose and security.  We are intentional about all we do, say and get involved in.  That doesn't mean we avoid the scary, hard stuff.  It just means we enter into it with prayer and fully armed.

Victory is ours...