I'd love to have the summer off for vacation from life. Wouldn't it be nice to sleep till whenever, eat whatever and dress in whatever you like with your "whatever" friends? Watching TV late, chatting on line or on your phone, and munching on food your parents intended to have for dinner tomorrow night? How about turning off your brain and forgetting all you learned so that when you go back to school in the fall you need a week or two of refresher in order to "catch up" so you can make it through another school year. Chores? What are chores and who is supposed to do them. They seemed to get done just fine when I was in school. But Joey's dad, Judy's mom and other parents don't make me do this, do that, go here, go there. If you haven't been privy to such thoughts, actions and words, you haven't had children. That or you weren't a normal child. The argument today is that if we engage every day then there is no break through the year. The habits we form and the morals we teach when reinforced tend to be a guiding force in our lives.
If you are in the habit of only acting like a Christian on Sunday and when company comes over then that's all you will do. If you are in the habit of praying only when there are emergencies then that's all you will do. If you read the Bible religiously on the overhead screen at church then that's all the reading you will do. We are creatures of habit. What we do we teach others to do. When our kids turn out like us we cry unfair and try to tell them to "do as I say and not as I do." What's worse is that we surround ourselves with people who, like us, don't do anything differently than their parents or friends. We don't tend to hang out with those who actually have a living relationship with Jesus. When's the last time you sought out a Christian brother and said, "Hey Joey, let's have some time reading the Bible and praying." Maybe you have a girlfriend that says, "Judy, was praying and God told me to call you and give you a word of encouragement." Maybe you are like quite a number of families that send their children to every Vacation Bible School within a 100 mile radius in order to "preoccupy" them during the time you could be with them, praying with them, reading the Bible with them and sharing Jesus with them. Here's a concept: Be a Christian parent and have morals, expectations and live up to what the Bible says.
But... There are no buts. We have time on our hands and we feel the need to avoid Jesus. Think not? They why do we leave our kids alone at home all summer while we traipse off to work, shopping, friends, and other places where we are out of touch with the very world God has blessed us with. Then when something goes wrong we aren't available, aren't a role model, and don't have any moral expectations of our kids. THEN they choose without the experience, understanding or knowledge about why and how to choose. Yes, summer is a wonderful time. So, why don't we take some time, slow down, spend time with our kids and enjoy the precious moments we have? Just like our faith, we have abandoned our children to the whims of society and the pressure of peers. Think not? Go visit any juvenile detention center. Better yet, go there on visiting day and see all the parents who visit because of regrets. Christian living is difficult only if we avoid doing what we need to do out of our love for Jesus. Garbage in, garbage out. Jesus in, Jesus out. Simple choice. What's your choice?
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