Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Spats, Fridges, and Socks



It is spring break!  YAY!  Home with the kiddos, great times had by all......except when the siblings start fighting.  No, my kids are not perfect.   Let me introduce you....

 Joe is 8 and he is full of energy, precious and tenderhearted.  Luke is 5 and full of energy, free spirited, and hilarious.  Sarah is my little 4 year old princess, beautiful, loves being girly, full of energy and can definitely hold her own with the boys.  Did I mention my kids were full of energy!  ; )  Aren't they cuties!

So, back to the fighting.  We tell our kids frequently to "Love one another", "Be kind to one another", "Do unto others as you would want others to do to you".  Well, yesterday they just weren't treating each other very nice.  So, to the fridge we go.....

Last summer my dear friend, Becky, wrote a blog about "House Rules" that she has for her kids.  She has a great blog.  You should check it out, it is www.joyfuljava.blogspot.com.  There is link at the bottom of my blog.  We started implementing "House Rules" after her suggestion.  They are on our fridge, so back to the fridge....




We go over Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 3, Rule 4.  I have the kids read them (Joe and Luke) and Sarah repeat them.  We are going to "Honor each other, by being kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave us."  That was the one I really needed to go over with them yesterday morning.

Well, that went well and I left to go take a shower.  When I came out, my son gave me something that completely blessed by socks off!  (I wasn't wearing socks at the time, but if I had been wearing them they would have come off!)  



Joe made me this card.  Wow!  Thank you Lord.  Sometimes we wonder if it is going in.....it is. 

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord"  Ps. 1:1

(This verse above is actually a verse I have prayed over all my kids since they were babies)

Kids so crave our boundaries, they need and desire boundaries.  We set rules to keep our kids safe, to teach them right from wrong, to help them make good choices that lead to good results.  They want to know right from wrong, they know the rules we set is a way we show our love to them.  They take delight in our rules we set because they know deep down it is for their own good. 

That is how it is with our Heavenly Father.  He set rules for us to follow in His Word only because He loves us and knows what is best for us.  Do we delight in them or do we begrudge them and try to get out of following them?  They are only there for our protection, so we can have the good life God wants to give us.  


I will say this though, Joe would probably not have written that note to me if I didn't have a good relationship with him.  He knows I love him.  He knows that love is the reason for the rules.

"Rules without relationship leads to rebellion." (Dr. Tim Kimmel)

So many people today are living in rebellion because they don't have a real relationship with Jesus.  They don't realize His love is the motive.  

I have heard it said that we don't need to follow the ten commandments now because Jesus came to remove the law and replaced it with only 2 commandments:  1)Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  2)Love your neighbor as yourself.  Well,  to those people I would say....if you do those 2, you will follow the ten commandments.  They aren't exclusive.  

Anywho, I just threw that last part in there.  The point is....we all need boundaries and we should delight in them just as Joe did yesterday morning.  The last line of Ps. 1 is ....."And whatever he does shall prosper." When we delight in the law of the Lord....whatever we do will prosper.  God said it would! 

I don't know about you, but I want whatever I do to prosper!  Lets delight in that just as we love our kids and set boundaries for them, that our Heavenly Father loves us enough to set boundaries for us in His Word.   Oh Lord, thank you that you loved us enough to give us Your Word. 






1 comment:

I heart your comments!