Never-ending Earthness?

It's everyday. The same as yesterday, the day before, and the day before that... and it will remain this way tomorrow and all the days after; it's  life.  The existence of good  and evil is infinite. There's always been a part of the human population that desires to do things that harm, maim, and/or defile others and it will be this way until the end. With that in mind, there is absolutely no reason to give up on living life to the fullest and striving to make a difference. Although the idea of changing this world is  daunting, we have to remember we are not here to change it, but to plant the seeds of love, nurture them, and then let them grow. Some seeds grow faster than others and some seeds are ravaged by animals. Take heart, we simply sow them again.  I know we all want to be a shining warrior for God, but I am convinced that love is the way not judgement. Simply because we are commanded to behave otherwise:

"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.[a]The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.[b]3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[c] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5 NIV
See how God has commanded us to not judge, but to examine ourselves. For to illicit change, we must first be the example of change. Then people find themselves asking, what do they have that I don't have? Plant the seeds; directly and indirectly and they will grow. 

The news media lately is filled with one horrific tragedy after another, reports of threats from inside and outside of our country, and the inner turmoil of our country; from basic rights of food, shelter, and healthcare to protection of our people and our borders to the rights of the individual to choose their way of living. The opportunities to teach our children how to react are endless, and trust me

THEY ARE WATCHING and LISTENING more than you think!

We are the best example for our children. So are the people we entrust them to, so be aware of who is influencing your children. They watch us and listen to us discuss hot topics like gun control, marriage, gay/lesbian issues, the safety of our country, and then our individual family plights about communication, finances, jobs, and education. What are they hearing from their rooms, the kitchen as they quietly prepare their stuff so they can hear, or while they appear to be busy reading, studying, playing, gaming, or any number of things that we might assume has their attention? I can give you an idea.... it's whatever they repeat! They will repeat their own version of how they interpret what they hear at school, church, in activities, when conversing with family and friends, and eventually it will come back to you and you will wonder where on earth did they hear something like that!!! From you. I say this confidently, because I am increasingly aware of the fact that what comes out of mine and my husband's mouth during heated (and not heated) discussions I have heard repeated. Some make me proud and other's stop me in my tracks, shame me, and make me question if we are solely responsible for the corruption of our children's views of this world. And if so, am I failing as a parent? So, I've been spending time working on myself and trying to do a better job.

It's been a little new for me (and I am practicing what I preach for those eyes and ears), but I've been desperately trying to teach our children to do a few things before they react to something:

 1. Try to make sure you understand what is going on. Ask an authoritative figure for some kind of confirmation if possible and/or research it for accuracy. Be responsible. We do not want to be guilty of spreading gossip!

2. Do not react! Make yourself take it for face value and ask yourself WWJD? 

3. Pray.

4. Take what you know, what you've been told, the discussions you have about it, and then dive into the Word of God. Pray. Seek out guidance. God will meet you anywhere.

5. Do your very best to put yourself in another's shoes and never judge them for their actions. Trust me, there's plenty to judge you about so let's don't go around like the "pot calling the kettle black." :)

6. When all else fails, remember this one VERY important old saying, "If you can't say anything nice (or supportive, or compassionate, or Christ-like) then don't say anything at all." 


I don't have all the answers and I can't make anyone say or do what I think they should, but I can do my very best to raise children that are Christ-aware and as a result, hopefully, they are compassionate human beings with a desire to reach the world with the good news that Jesus has overcome and we do not have to destroy one another in an attempt of survival of the fittest. We are all fit, we are all loved, we are all His children, and He desires for each and every one of us to know Him and be able to live in the assurance that there will come a day!