Sep. 14, 2007
Have you ever had one of those days...?
Posted in Spiritual
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Well, I've had two of those WEEKS! I don't want to sound overly dramatic here, but in the midst of all of these great things we are reading and learning in school there are those moments when nothing seems to be going right. The kids are arguing over who's going to sit where, who's feet are touching who, who is going to use the colored pencils, and what "people" should go on their "people pages" (as we so lovingly named them) for today. In the midst of all of this I'm thinking to myself that I need to get a grip on this situation before it escalates, but I'm also arguing with myself over how to do that. I know some of you have been there so you can sympathize with me. In my short bursts of quiet times over the past two weeks and as I type this post I have been reminded of two things: 1. I should be still before the Lord. I need to get with Him and wait for Him to answer me. 2. Wisdom and knowledge begin with God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." Prov. 1:7 "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;..." Prov. 3:19 I'm currently seeking God's wisdom for how to deal with my children's tendency to argue with one another (over seemingly nothing), as this occurs on a daily basis. I know they are children and the arguing issue is nothing new under the sun. I want my children to know how to love one another and to live at peace with one another. I believe that if they can learn to do this at home then they will be able to live this way with others they come in contact with. I'm working hard on trying to live before them what I want them to emulate. I've given extra hugs and extra pats on the back and said extra "I love you's". We are also reading Violet's Defiant Daughter in the A Life of Faith Violet Travilla series. Violet shows love to others even when it would be difficult to do so. I'm hoping that this example will encourage them to do the same. The biggest issue here is selfishness. I don't know of one argument they have had where selfishness is not the root of the argument. We have been working on copying verses from Proverbs that address issues that they each need to deal with. I have personalized their lists, and asked them to choose one verse each day to read and copy during their quiet times. The older two have to write down what they think that verse means or how they can apply that verse to their lives. The younger child is supposed to come tell me what she thinks the verse means and how she can apply it to her life. Also, as I see this behavior exhibited we stop and talk about what was wrong with that behavior and how they should have acted or responded in that particular situation. I'm working on trying to remember to praise their good behavior (such as sharing something with another person, doing a kind deed for another person, or saying a kind word to another). We talk a lot about how others are hurt by our harsh words. I need to remind them that it is just as easy to say something kind to someone as it is to say something mean. As we've talked about God's commands in His Word concerning how we are supposed to treat one another I sometimes hear "But it's hard!" Our pastor said a few weeks ago that whatever God has commanded us to do in His Word he has already given us all that we need in order to carry out that command. That's a revelation in a society where so many of us, even Christians, say that we can't forgive someone who has hurt us because of what that person has done to us. When Jesus said in Luke 17:4 that we are to forgive our brother, even if he comes seeking forgiveness 7 times a day, He has given us through the Holy Spirit the power to forgive our brother. So, the lesson we've focused on this past two weeks has been ..... We have a choice in everything we do and say. We can choose to do what pleases God, or we can choose to do what pleases ourselves. What will you choose? |
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