Fw: Moments with You
Stanley Mwabulambo
Stanley Mwabulambo
Cellphone: +255 767 601 299
Cellphone:+255 784 601 299
Cellphone:+255 655 601 299
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 12:44, FamilyLife<em...@email.familylife.com> wrote:
Growing Gardens and Growing Children View in your browser
August 1
Growing Gardens and Growing Children
by Barbara Rainey
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
Galatians 6:9
I love the way a garden looks when it's clean and neat, when all the soil is evened out and the weeds are pulled up. But I know too well that the hard work of a Saturday morning will be repeated again and again, all season long. It never takes more than a week or two of neglect before weeds are sprouting all over the place.
Parenting is a lot like that. Just when you think you've finally mastered one area, you wake up the next day and a whole new issue is facing you. It's so easy to forget that parenting is a process. A long, long process.
You go to bed at night sometimes relishing those little victories, thinking all is secure and right with the world. But it's not very long before something else crops up. Infant issues morph into young-toddler issues. Toddler issues become school-age issues — the unmade bed, the homework, not coming to the table when we call. Then it's on to adolescent issues — the emotional turbulence, the anger, the words they hear and pick up at school (and at church!).
Remember that building character is the most important goal in parenting. Imprinting a child's heart with the image of God takes time and repeated effort, often reworking the same ground repeatedly to keep bad behaviors from becoming habits.
So I encourage you today not to give up. Don't lose heart. The Bible promises great reward to those who faithfully persevere through the long days, the long battles that often don't even stop for bedtime. I assure you, all that weeding will pay off.
Discuss
Name the biggest issues you're dealing with in the lives of your children. Or name one issue that is just around the corner.
Pray
Thank Him for the wisdom, energy and ability He provides to get through each day, knowing that His supply is sufficient and His promises are sure. Pray for one another in this long process of child rearing.
Was this devotional helpful to you?
Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey, available for purchase here. Copyright ® 2011 Dennis and Barbara Rainey. All Rights Reserved. Published by Bethany House Publishers. Used by permission. Not to be copied without Publisher’s prior written approval.
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Stanley Mwabulambo
Stanley Mwabulambo
Cellphone:+255 767 601 299
Cellphone :+255 784 601 299
Cellphone :+255 655 601 299
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Fri, Aug 4, 2017 at 12:29, FamilyLife<em...@email.familylife.com> wrote:
Lying in Wait View in your browser
August 4
Lying in Wait
Who may walk on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity... and speaks truth in his heart.
Psalm 15:1-2
When dealing with our young children, we sometimes forget what we're up against: the deceit that is a natural part of a child's heart.
It's intriguing that when God identifies seven things He really hates (see Proverbs 6:16-19), two of the seven concern deceit: "a lying tongue" (verse 17) and "a false witness who utters lies" (verse 19). Deceit seems to fall into two major types:
- Lying. Every one of our children lied to us. Multiple times. Some of them lied about lying! When children are tempted to misrepresent the truth and are caught, they must be disciplined. Whatever amount of protesting and defending they choose to make, they must ultimately admit wrong and receive the penalty for their deceit. It was an automatic spanking for our children under the age of eight or nine. The older children were grounded.
- Habitual craftiness. This murky, constant shading of the truth can create exhaustion and a sense of hopelessness in a parent. You may look into the sweet eyes of your little one and see the makings of a crafty riverboat gambler. One way to get through to this child is to share situations from your life where you stepped into a deceitful snare. Talk about the consequences that resulted. Help your child see that everyone is capable of this sin—even you—but no one escapes the damage it causes. You will need to help this child experience the full pain of his or her lies. Do not shield your child from the consequences.
Deceit is a natural reaction that starts early in life. Be ready for it in your children. Train them with ample doses of God's Word and remind them who they are ultimately dealing with.
Discuss
How have you been burned by your own deceit? If you're detecting a deceitful streak in your children, what is your game plan to address it?
Pray
Pray that in leading your children toward honesty and truth-telling, you will be modeling and internalizing it yourself.