Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
After a busy Thanksgiving, taking relatives to the airport, and doing some holiday shopping, my husband, older daughter and I took a day off from all the busyness and played golf. I suppose you could call what I played “golf” even though it didn’t go so well! But it was nice to get out with them and enjoy a relaxing, beautiful day.
For a long time, I struggled with resting. With just doing something fun that had no goal. Before kids, my husband and I would spend Saturday running around doing errands. Come Sunday I would start stressing out about Monday’s workload! When my kids were younger, we always had sports on the weekends with tournaments lasting from Thursday until Sunday afternoon. These last couple of years I’ve finally taken to heart the idea of resting. Resting and enjoying all the blessings that God has gifted us.
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2
Toiling and striving and anxiously lying awake thinking about how we can toil some more the next day! It’s not good for our health and it’s not the life God intended for us. It’s so sad that two major companies in the United States who made the choice to stay closed on Sundays have received so much grief for that decision. But the leaders of those companies are Christians who take the message and gift of the Sabbath to heart.
I still catch myself feeling guilty for resting. I have to remind myself that it’s not a luxury. It’s a requirement by God. Whether we are rich or poor, with children or not, retired or still working, God wants us to be rested, ready to do His good works when needed.
I’m so thankful for this gift of rest. It shows how much God loves us and wants the best for us. He wants us to be recharged and energized followers of Jesus. Not burned out, overworked, stressed and therefore unable to see how beautiful this world is He created. Unable to stop and help someone in need. So today on this Sabbath day take this gift of rest freely. Take time for yourself and enjoy.
The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness. Isaiah 38:19
I have a confession to make. I wasn’t an intentional Christian parent. Church was often relegated to the backseat during softball season (which pretty much lasts 9 months). I didn’t make sure my kids were involved in Christian youth groups. When we did pray at dinner we prayed the same prayer each time until it became almost meaningless. We didn’t talk about the Bible, we didn’t talk about our faith. I don’t think I’m alone in this confession. And I’m sure I’m not alone in saying there was a price paid for our “Christian-lite” stance.
I am thankful that, when my younger daughter went off to college, she was drawn to a Christian athlete organization and then a local church. Through that program she learned what we had failed to teach – the truth about our Savior and how much God loves us. My older daughter? She’s probably like a lot of our twenty-somethings. She believes in God but beyond that it gets murky.
“The single most important factor of shaping children’s religious lives is their parents – not society, not youth leaders, but their parents.”
In other words, if you model faithfulness, if you live out what you say you believe on Sunday, the chances of your child being a devoted follower of Christ is increased exponentially. And if, like I did, you lead a lukewarm faith life you’ll most likely create the same fruit. Even worse, if you act or speak hypocritically you may get no fruit at all.
A few weeks ago, our pastor taught on Genesis 18:16-19:29. An overarching theme in these verses is the concept of being or having an advocate. Someone who will hold us up and speak for us to God. Abraham wrangled with God to save just a few people from the sin-filled cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the end, his pleas saved his nephew, Lot, and Lot’s daughters. It’s a beautiful foreshadowing of the ultimate Advocate – Jesus. As you can see in these two verses.
Then he (Abraham) said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He (God) answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” Genesis 18:32
Jesus: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.John 17:15
How many of us, as parents or grandparents or even aunts and uncles, see ourselves as “advocates” for our children? See being in that role as possibly one of the most important ones we will ever have? How many of us have prioritized our faith over the sparkling lights of “after school activities?” Their very souls are what we are talking about here. I’ve heard so many parents grieve their adult children’s faith. And so we pray as their advocate. How about we also live as one too?
Abraham was able to plead directly with God. A back and forth conversation. How? From the beginning of his relationship with God, Abraham obeyed and worked to be a faithful servant – with a few hiccups along the way. What does that look like as modern parents today? How can we be resolute in not compromising our children’s eternity?
In my next post I’ll talk about opening our eyes as parents to our everyday decisions. Are they of the world of the flesh or of God’s will? I recently listened to author Christian Smith about the research he has done in the area of youth and faith. His current book is titled, Handing Down the Faith. Here’s few great nuggets from the book.
Teens are actually paying attention to you. That might come as a shock to many. He found that even into their 20s our kids are actively noticing how we live and what we “preach.”
Just saying you are a Christian (Buddhist, Jew, etc) isn’t enough. Kids are learning both positive and negative faith examples.
We aren’t just counteracting world views but some church ones as well. Many Christian youth programs teach what he termed, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism – act morally, be a nice person, and don’t judge. That’s great when life is easy. But as our kids age and the world comes crashing down it causes them to fall away.
Be authoritative – demand expectations, standards, with an abundance of warmth and support. Note: not “authoritarian.”
Talk routinely about religion. While your faith doesn’t need to be the subject of each discussion your faith should be woven in and used for handling conflict and decision making.
Walk the talk. If you live a life of service, humility, forgiveness and worship your kids will have the best example they will ever need.
Channel “internalization.” Or in other words place your child in situations where they will be influenced positively in your faith by others such as youth groups, religious schools, etc.
Know the Word. A good teacher is only as good as how well they know their topic!
Play the long game. None of us are wholly responsible for anyone’s faith and salvation. But the building blocks you instill are certainly a great cornerstone!
Pray. And pray some more. Pray for knowledge, pray for discernment, pray for your children and your spouse. Pray for doors to open for conversations and then walk through them!
I may have missed the opportunity when my kids were younger to instill Jesus into their lives. But to be fair, He wasn’t deeply rooted in mine either. Thankfully, how I’ve allowed Jesus to change me and use me is also a great lesson for my adult children. Until this Age of Grace is over, it is never too late for God to work in our familys’ lives. As a changed follower I’m asking for His help, so that I can stand resolutely and faithfully in being my kids’ advocate.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12
If today’s verse sounds familiar, it should! The King James’ version was our stepping off point for this new series – “That ye be not slothful…” Remembering that the Greek word for slothful, nothros, means slow or sluggish, Paul urges us to grab hold of our inheritance and be diligent to the very end (Heb. 11-12).
What does this look like in our everyday lives?
I had an acquaintance tell me the other day that she would like her church group to start back in studying the Bible. You see, with the chaos from the pandemic their family lives have been turned upside down. Kids are constantly home and constantly needing help with getting the education our schools have neglected to provide. And so studying the Word has fallen by the wayside. They are waiting for a “better time” to reboot their studies.
Hours for the world! Moments for Christ!
Charles Spurgeon
But if we are to be honest if it weren’t the pandemic, for many Christian believers there would be something else keeping them from regularly attending church, going (prepared) to Bible Study, sitting quietly studying His Word. For my family it once was youth sports. We abandoned church for softball tournaments. We saw it as a season that would eventually change and God probably didn’t really mind.
Had I truly valued what God wants for me I would have realized that during that season I especially needed His Word. It’s when our lives seem most chaotic that we need to grasp hold of God. He is our center, our Rock, our plumb line. He puts the swirling world and all its stresses into perspective.
The world has the best of our time and our prayer closets the leftover fragments.
Charles Spurgeon
So, when Paul reminds us to not be lazy or slothful or sluggish with our obedience to Jesus he especially means during difficult times. To not turn to the flesh for solutions and comfort. He chastises us to finish strong by keeping close to God.
I’ve invited many friends and acquaintances to participate in Bible study. And every time I hear multiple people say they are too busy with “life.” Work, family, hobbies, other obligations take precedence. I get it. I’ve been there many, many times. But when I look back to those times I do so with a measure of regret. Because those times are gone forever. Times when I could’ve really used the Word of God to comfort me and to reignite my faith. There are so many instances where I needed God’s wisdom to make better choices – both for myself and my family.
We do not forget to eat. We do not forget to be diligent in business. We do not forget to go to our beds to rest. But we often forget to wrestle with God in prayer and to spend long periods in consecrated fellowship with our Father and our God.
Charles Spurgeon
Our days are numbered here on earth. Christ sacrificed Himself to a horrible death so that we may have a close relationship with God and the gift of salvation. When our ledger is opened at the end will it show that we have made God the primary focus of our time or will He be a footnote?
“May I continue to find favor
in your eyes, my lord,” she said.
“You have put me at ease by
speaking kindly to your servant—
though I do not have the standing
of one of your servants.”Ruth 2:13
A prayer to always speak kindly of others
Merciful God, so often when I think of sinful behavior, I rarely attribute my own tendency to gossip and tear down others. And yet throughout Jesus’ time here on earth he reminds us to love one another. Help me to remember to love not just with deeds but with my words. You speak so kindly of me, LORD, and I have many, many flaws. Not only do I need your help in not speaking unkindly, but also in being your servant to exalt your people. I know that a kind word is all that is needed to cure so many of our world’s ills. Guide me in controlling my lips so that they drip with kindness rather than bitterness. In Jesus’ name I lift this up to you. Amen
“The problem with youth sports is the parents,” my husband loves to say. And he’s not wrong. If you’ve never stood on the sidelines of a soccer, softball, baseball, football or any youth sport let me paint a picture. There’s the pacer – that parent that has so much anger or anxiety they can’t sit still. There’s the cheerleader parent and the coaching parent – yelling out to their kids instructions of how to play better. There’s the sideline referee – yelling at the refs for every call. The peek-a-boo parent stands off to the side trying to shield themselves from their anxiety, only peeking to check out the score or why everyone just cheered so loudly. And then you have little groups of parents huddled together gossiping.
I have been every single one of those at some point. And guess what, so has my husband. He may be hesitant to admit it but I have seen him be the actor in each of those roles.
During my youngest daughter’s last season of high school field hockey, I decided to take a different tack. I knew my mouth wanted to speak so I figured, why fight it. But instead of anything negative I would cheer positively for every girl at one point or another. Afterwards, I would seek out parents and pay their daughters’ compliments for a job well done. It’s amazing how much better I felt after games.
My command is this:
Love each other as I
have loved you.John 15:12
I know for some, speaking kindly comes naturally (looking at you Betsy!). But I have found that not to be the norm in society. We seem to feel the need to seek out the flaw, the screw up, the mistake. “The movie was good, but I’m not too sure about that choice of an actor.” “She’s lost a lot of weight, but she really needed it didn’t she?” “He’s a good leader but I don’t like his hair.” “She always looks so nice, but of course she likes to impress people.” And on and on. The “buts” in our sentences erase any good we intended. We just need to get that extra little dig in.
“‘Do not go about spreading
slander among your people.
“‘Do not do anything that endangers
your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.Leviticus 19:16
I was listening to a podcast by a well know Christian speaker. She told a story of how she would listen to other talented speakers and upon leaving start dissecting all they had done wrong. And yet, she hoped people wouldn’t do the same to her.
Speaking unkindly, gossiping, or even slandering others is sinful behavior. It is like an amoeba that slowly eats our heart and mind. And the cure is to offer the kind word. It’s not enough to remove something from our behavior, that’s only half the work. God wants us to actively love our friends, family, neighbors and strangers with kindness.
I realized that not only was I having problems speaking about others unkindly but also about myself. I discovered this while at the gym. When I would get tired and worried I wouldn’t perform well I found my inner “but” speaking – “Come on you lazy so and so, you showed up today but now get it in gear!” How many of us really need one more person saying something negative to us? And yet, how many of us are that one more person? I decided to flip the script and start saying, “Come on! I know you can do this! You are stronger than yesterday!” I’m thankful for a few less bruises on my soul.
Just one more! You can do it!
When I head out on my errands now, I say a little prayer asking God to help me say something that brightens someone’s day. I put a sign up in my prayer room that says, “Kindness and Grace Matter.” With His help I will remove the “buts” out of my vocabulary and rest in the compliment. I’m doing that not only for others but also for myself. I will speak kindness into my own heart so that it is full. And with fullness of heart, I will spread His fruit of love and kindness.
If you want this too, add the prayer to your daily prayer list and watch and see how God works in your life!
emboldened.net 