It's been a rough week at the House of Chaos. Things have not run exactly according to plan. Nothing big, just little annoying things all week, just enough to put you in a grumpy mood, or, at least put me in a bit of a grumpy mood.
The forced isolation brought on by the recent relocation is quickly wearing thin. I knew I was in trouble when I found myself lingering in the check out line at Food Lion just so I could talk to someone over the age of 15! It's hard to develop a real friendship when all you have to talk about is the condition of your tomatoes. I really became concerned when I found myself sleeping in till 3pm, craving Ramen noodles and calling the commander "Dude". I can't wait till school starts! I know that will help the brothers as well. It's hard to go from being the center of a large social group that never seemed to stop to this social wilderness. It does have some advantages, though. Surfer boy was over heard saying he didn't want Mumbles to be mad at him because he's the only other person near his age he knew in NC!
Hey! you gotta find the bright spots!
The brothers are all so different and dealing with this in their own ways but I see bits of the commander and me peeking through. It's another reminder of just how connected we are to our children and they to us. I've had mornings from the other side of the coin when I looked in the mirror and saw my mother starring back at me, but that's an issue better left alone! I see how very much our decisions in life effect/affect (you be the judge!) our kids lives in ways I'd never seen before. I was reading Leviticus and there is a scripture there (chpt 26) that talks about what will happen to the children of Israel if they refuse to obey the commands God has put down for them. It talks of the many afflictions that will come upon them and how their seeds won't grow and their strength will fail and, get this, how wild animals will come upon them and snatch their children away! It kind of makes you sit up and take notice of how what we do so greatly affects our children. It goes on later to say in verse 39 those who are left will waste away because of their sins and "because of their father's sins". I had to sit and ponder that for a while. Why would God punish someone because of what their father did. Then I went back and read the scripture again. It doesn't actually say God is going to punish them. Their father had made bad choices in life, choices against God. He chose not to follow God's laws and obey His words. That put the father in a bad place, a place void of God's blessings. The kids had no choice in it. They, being part of the family, went where good old dad went. They were raised in a godless manner through no fault of their own. Once they are of age and make those bad choices for themselves, that's a different matter entirely. If we choose to go out on our own, away from God and his blessings, make no mistake, it will affect our children negatively. If a mother bird chooses to go against the laws God has instilled in it and builds her nest on the ground she can hardly blame God when the neighbors cat makes a meal off her newly hatched brood. It's not the baby bird's fault, it's simply the result of bad choices made by mama birdy. It may not have been the baby bird's fault, but it will still end up a feline appetizer.
So, after all this deep, heavy thought and pondering, two things have been made clear to me. The first is, I now have a bad headache, but more importantly, the second, just how important it is for us, as parents to stay close to the Lord. There's more than just our lives at stake, our children's welfare is also in the balance. I'm going to try to remember all this the next time the enemy tries to tempt me into something that would be so good for only a season but bring death into my life. I won't be the only one suffering the consequences. Peace and joy are found within the Lord so I'll choose to stay with Him. Besides, the neighbor's cat is looking a little lean and hungry.
Soaked in His blessings,
Spokenfor
Love the insight ... good stuff!
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