Today, I read this passage in my bible:
"Stand at attention while I prepare you for your work.
I'm making you as impregnable as a castle,
Immovable as a steel post,
solid as a concrete block wall.
You're a one-man defense system
against this culture,
Against Judah's kings and princes,
against the priests and local leaders.
They'll fight you, but they won't
even scratch you.
I'll back you up every inch of the way." ~Jeremiah 1:18-19
"You're a one-man defense system against this culture". This whole passage spoke to me but I was particularly drawn to this line. As I was reading it, God just pulled this line out to my attention. And as strange as it may seem, it got me thinking about my children and their futures. I was thinking about the kind of "culture" they will be faced with in their lives. God is asking of Jeremiah to go into the world and do His work, He is preparing him for what is to come. As parents, God has laid that task before us. We are to be preparing our children to do the work of the Kingdom and to have the courage and confidence to stand against whatever persecution they may face. He has presented us with a gift in our children, the most beautiful gift we could ever receive...
Ben and I made a decision before we actually even had children, before I was even pregnant, that I would stay home with our children and that we wanted to homeschool our children when that time came. We both felt that God had laid this on our hearts, and our experiences also affected our decision. Working in the early childhood field, we both saw day-in and day-out how lack of parental involvement affects children in todays world.
*disclaimer* Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that you are a bad parent if you send your children to daycare or public school. My parents sent me to public school and I think they were FANTASTIC parents. It is personal choice and should not be made lightly.
However, for Ben and I, this is the right decision. I don't believe there could ever be a better teacher for my children than myself. I am not saying that to be boastful, I am just saying that no teacher is ever going to love my children in the way that I do, nor are they going to care as much about my child's indivual education as me. In public school their greatest influences will be their teachers and peers...how can I know what they are being taught and prepared for? I anticipate it being a challenge, and a LOT of work, but the greatest rewards come form hard work.
I want to be able to look at my children when they are venturing out into the world and know that they are: as impregnable as a castle, immovable as a steel post, solid as a concrete block wall. That they can be a one-man defense system against this culture, against their persecuters - their persecuters will fight, but they won't even scratch my children. And here is the best part...Christ will back them up every inch of the way.
How will I know this? Because I have been there all along the way...teaching them, loving them, encouraging them and preparing them. I know I will make mistakes, as will my children...but Christ didn't call us to perfect works, he called us to perfect love and perfect submission. Others might think that Ben and I are too strict or not allowing our children to experience enough, but this life is temporary, and my children's eternity is at stake...So, I will be the mom who guards and shelters and protects my children's hearts, minds and souls as long as I have breath in me.
They are precious in His sight and mine <3
**Teachable [Mom]ent** for the day:
Protect your chilren's innocence...they can't do it for themselves, they need you to! Don't be afraid to be the parent who says to 'No' to a movie or video game, etc. My mom protected my innocence, at times being ridiculed by others for being "too srict", but I am thankful everyday that she did...It me made me who I am today :)
"Stand at attention while I prepare you for your work.
I'm making you as impregnable as a castle,
Immovable as a steel post,
solid as a concrete block wall.
You're a one-man defense system
against this culture,
Against Judah's kings and princes,
against the priests and local leaders.
They'll fight you, but they won't
even scratch you.
I'll back you up every inch of the way." ~Jeremiah 1:18-19
"You're a one-man defense system against this culture". This whole passage spoke to me but I was particularly drawn to this line. As I was reading it, God just pulled this line out to my attention. And as strange as it may seem, it got me thinking about my children and their futures. I was thinking about the kind of "culture" they will be faced with in their lives. God is asking of Jeremiah to go into the world and do His work, He is preparing him for what is to come. As parents, God has laid that task before us. We are to be preparing our children to do the work of the Kingdom and to have the courage and confidence to stand against whatever persecution they may face. He has presented us with a gift in our children, the most beautiful gift we could ever receive...
Ben and I made a decision before we actually even had children, before I was even pregnant, that I would stay home with our children and that we wanted to homeschool our children when that time came. We both felt that God had laid this on our hearts, and our experiences also affected our decision. Working in the early childhood field, we both saw day-in and day-out how lack of parental involvement affects children in todays world.
*disclaimer* Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that you are a bad parent if you send your children to daycare or public school. My parents sent me to public school and I think they were FANTASTIC parents. It is personal choice and should not be made lightly.
However, for Ben and I, this is the right decision. I don't believe there could ever be a better teacher for my children than myself. I am not saying that to be boastful, I am just saying that no teacher is ever going to love my children in the way that I do, nor are they going to care as much about my child's indivual education as me. In public school their greatest influences will be their teachers and peers...how can I know what they are being taught and prepared for? I anticipate it being a challenge, and a LOT of work, but the greatest rewards come form hard work.
I want to be able to look at my children when they are venturing out into the world and know that they are: as impregnable as a castle, immovable as a steel post, solid as a concrete block wall. That they can be a one-man defense system against this culture, against their persecuters - their persecuters will fight, but they won't even scratch my children. And here is the best part...Christ will back them up every inch of the way.
How will I know this? Because I have been there all along the way...teaching them, loving them, encouraging them and preparing them. I know I will make mistakes, as will my children...but Christ didn't call us to perfect works, he called us to perfect love and perfect submission. Others might think that Ben and I are too strict or not allowing our children to experience enough, but this life is temporary, and my children's eternity is at stake...So, I will be the mom who guards and shelters and protects my children's hearts, minds and souls as long as I have breath in me.
They are precious in His sight and mine <3
**Teachable [Mom]ent** for the day:
Protect your chilren's innocence...they can't do it for themselves, they need you to! Don't be afraid to be the parent who says to 'No' to a movie or video game, etc. My mom protected my innocence, at times being ridiculed by others for being "too srict", but I am thankful everyday that she did...It me made me who I am today :)
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