Making the Most of the Younger Years

Recently while the girls were napping, Nathan and I had afternoon tea for the first time. I brought out my beautiful little tea pot and some of our wedding china, made some tea cakes, and enjoyed some precious time with my three year old little boy.

We worked on our manners and we discussed baseball, books, and David & Goliath (his favorite story ever!)

The more I delve into the Word of God, the more I see God's intent for motherhood. With three children ranging in age from 9 weeks to almost 4 years, chaos seems inevitable. And chaos is not an atmosphere for one-on-one quiet time! So if I want to win the hearts of my children, I have to be intentional in exchanging laziness for diligence. I have to do all I can to reject disorder and cultivate order and peace within my home. If this is done, then the stage is set for big opportunities to make the most of the little years and reach my children for Christ. This world will envelop our kids if we, as parents, are not doing our job in winning the hearts of our children.

On the outside, reaching the hearts of our children for Christ when they are small seems a bit much. Why not wait until they are older? As challenging as the younger years are, I firmly believe that if we hesitate to disciple our little ones when they are small, we miss out on vital opportunities to instill the power of the Gospel into their lives. Little ones are sponges and they absorb so much! Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 to "come as little children"and He did that for the purpose of reminding us of a child's inherent, trusting nature. Unlike us adults, children are more apt to believe without the need of physical proof. That's why it is so important that we seize the younger years and use each moment of our day to pour the Gospel into their little hearts, tilling up the ground and planting seeds of faith. 

I wasn't quite ready to hand him a good piece of china, so we practiced with our John Deer mug. :)

I am no creative person. But I'm learning that I don't have to be a Pinterest mom and come up with impressive, blog-worthy ways to make the most of my time with my children. The little tea party I set up was about the extent of my creative ability as a mom! But you don't have to set out china and have tea. You can simply take a ride in the car or bring your children to the park. It doesn't take a lot of planning or a special place, just the heart-felt intent to invite Christ into the moment. Simply set aside a time where you can sit down with you child, one on one. Here are some examples of how we can seize the opportunity to disciple our little ones:

Talk with your children about what God is doing in your life. 

Children aren't fools. We can tell them what to do all the day long, but if we are not actively pursuing a growing and vibrant relationship with Jesus, they will not be impacted. Open up and be honest with what you are learning in your Christian walk. Recently I was having a very emotionally trying day and every little thing had me on edge. I found myself snapping at my kids and I wasn't very gentle or patient. Finally, I pulled Nathan aside and I apologized for my behavior. I was honest with him and explained that just as I was teaching him to obey those in authority over him, I was also being taught by God to obey Him.

Read your children stories of great men and women of the faith. 

Nathan's favorite stories are Bible stories. He loves the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel, and Joseph. I recently began telling him the story of Richard Wurmbrand. Reading stories of men and women of God who did extraordinary things and endured a lot of persecution builds an understanding of what it means to follow Christ. Don't be deceived into thinking it's too much for them to handle. You can make certain stories age appropriate without dismissing or glossing over any truth. The Holy Spirit will lead you.

Explain the attributes of the Christian life.

We have recently begun memorizing the definitions of love, found in 1 Corinthians 13. As we learn each element of love, I explain what they mean to us and how we can live them out. Love is patient. What is patience? Have I been patient today? What are ways I have not been patient? How can I have more patience? Break it down with your children and give them practical and real-life examples and pictures to understand it better. 

Sing hymns and worship songs, and explain what they mean.

From time to time, I will read from the book of Psalms. Psalms are songs to God and it's one of my favorite books in the Bible. I also love the hymns, so I play them regularly. We listen to praise and worship and lots of great Christian music that are in line with Scripture. It's important to teach our children to sing and praise the Lord, but it's also important to teach them what these songs mean. Pick a song and play it until you all know it by heart. Psalm 40:3 says God, "...hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it..." Let them hear songs of praise and SEE those words come to life in your home day-by-day.

Teach your children to memorize Scripture.

The story of Richard Wurmbrand is a huge example to me when it comes to memorizing Scripture. He was put in prison in Romania for his faith and while there for over 10 years, he was never allowed to have a Bible. That didn't stop him though. He knew a good portion of the Bible by heart and would "read" whole chapters from memory. His wife, Sabina, was also imprisoned for her faith and could also recite passages from memory. She said of her time in prison, "The words gave hope, comfort, life....How I wished I'd learned more of it by heart!" Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy word have I hit in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." As I said earlier, children are sponges and so if we can take the younger years and teach them to memorize Scripture, we build a foundation of faith that they can stand upon later in life. The verses I memorized as a child, I can still quote to you because they were drilled into me at an age where I could learn and retain easily. You can make Scripture memorization fun. You can even use Scripture Songs! However you go about it, make the most of these formidable years to give your kids the gift of God's word.

Never have I ever felt so overwhelmed and ill prepared than in motherhood. Raising little ones is hard, but training them and pointing them to Jesus seems daunting and very, very scary. Yet regardless of how intimidated and busy I may be, God will be faithful to me in my mothering. As long as I step out in obedience and train up my children in His ways, He will be faithful to complete the work He said He would do.

May we all keep working, keep praying, and keep diligently training our children to love Jesus Christ.

What to Expect From 50 Shades of Grey

It's 3 A.M. and I just fed my little one and laid that sweet little bundle of cuteness back in her bed. As a mother of three young children, I should be reveling in the sweet sleep that isn't offered to me that often. Instead, however, I'm here with a heavy heart.

This Friday history will be made as millions will flock to the cinemas to see the most sexually explicit R-rated film to date. Waving the banner of romance, this counterfeit love story will beat its way into the hearts and minds of women and men all over the country. It doesn't surprise me much that millions will see this movie. The Word tells us that in the last days there will be a huge moral decline. What does bother me are the scores of professed Christian women not only eager to watch this film, but who are defending it with a passion. A passion that scares me. That is why this wife and mommy is up at 3 A.M.

I can't stop anyone from reading these books or seeing the movie. I can give plenty of reasons why it should be avoided at all costs but, in the end, we all make our own choices. But let me tell you what you should expect if you do decide to stroll into the theater with your popcorn and soda.

1. Expect your marriage to be affected. Many women have defended 50 Shades by saying that their sex life with their husband has become more exciting as a result of reading this series. Tell me, at what point in your Christian walk did it become acceptable to indulge in pornogrphy in order to make your love life more exhilarating? Quite honestly, my sex life with my husband is satisfying enough without the aid of provocative books, magazines, or movies. Maybe after viewing this movie you will come home eager to jump into the arms of your husband but. let me be frank, it's no different than your husband viewing pornography in order to get his engine running before he jumps into your arms. Same thing, just a different vehicle. The sinful relationship between an unmarried couple should not be the example a Christian married couple follows. If you soak up 50 Shades, sister, you can expect a change in your marriage. It may very well begin with a bedroom romp, but as is the time-tested result of pornography, soon it won't be enough. Slowly, but most assuredly, you will tear down your marriage brick by brick.
   
   Hebrews 13:4
   Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
                   
2. Expect your walk with Christ to be infected. Somehow, in all the comments I have read from professing women of the faith, I have seen a defiant defense of this series instead of a sobering and passionate call to purity and honor. Have we lost all respect and thankfulness for our Savior that we would spit in His blood like this? Have we no shame at all in being entertained by the very evil that He died to set us free from? If you open your heart and welcome Christian Grey in, expect Christ to be far from you. We can either choose the lust and bondage of Mr. Grey, or we can choose the love, the purity, and the freedom in Christ. We can't have it both ways. That's just a fact.
   
   Matthew 6:24
   No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

My heart has trembled and my eyes have cried sitting and watching my sisters handcuffed to this series. I'm raising my children in a world where evil isn't lurking in the dark alleyways anymore, but paraded down the Church aisle. But y'all...

I love my daughters too much to allow them to be taught that the relationship between Christian and Ana is a healthy, loving relationship; that bondage, humiliation, degradation, and punishment are ingredients in a love story. I want them to revel in the freedom of truth and be able to walk confidently in the knowledge that Jesus is the picture of what love really is.

I love my son too much not to shield him from a world that will tell him that porn is normal and healthy. I don't want him indoctrinated by Hollywood, I want him instructed in righteousness. I love my children enough to introduce them, not to E.L. James, but to the Author of real love. And, God help me, I'm going to fight garbage like this for the sake of my children's purity until my dying day.

I love my husband too much to allow myself to be swept off my emotional feet by a fictional character. Frankly, as a young woman married five years with three children, I am plenty satisfied in my marital bed. I don't need a supplement that my enemy can use to plant seeds of discontentment in my heart. I have too much respect for my God-fearing, hard working, adoring husband to even begin to compare him with a sadist who has no concept of real love, commitment and sacrifice.

Finally, I love my God too much to disobey Him. If He says to steer clear of the things that drive a wedge between us, then I have to obey. There is no part of me that wants to shove His grace into the sewer and gobble up poison. I love Him enough to believe that He will bless the ones who walk in His ways, and judge what is wicked.

To those of you on the front lines of purity and righteousness, I'm wielding my sword with you. It's the casualties of this war that has me up at 3 A.M. but, nevertheless, it is a comfort to know that when it's all said and done, we win the battle. That's a mighty good thing we can expect.