*For the past 5 weeks I have been leading a Creative Corrections Bible Study with a group of wonderful women from our homeschool co-op that I am lucky enough to call friends. In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing the lesson’s I have learned in finding “Creative Corrections” for my Outlaws (kids).
**Click HERE to read my first post of this series, “Creative Corrections: Introduction”
During the first week of the Creative Corrections Bible Study Lisa urges parents to establish the Bible as the FINAL word in their home. This sounds so easy, but if you are a control freak like me, it may be a little challenging to implement. Don’t get me wrong, we all want our kids to learn to obey God & use the Bible as their standard & not the world. But in the actual day-to-day parenting tasks, it isn’t always easy for me to do. I can’t tell you how many times I have said yelled, “Because I said so!!!” But it isn’t really because “I” said so, it is because God said so – I just forget to mention that part in the heat of the moment sometimes. I love Lisa’s quote to her kids,
“Honey, I didn’t make up these rules. God did & He says this makes life work. Because I believe Him & I love you & want you to be successful, I am going to enforce what He says in our home.”
Yeah. Argue with that!
Lisa also reminds us, as parents, we are modeling God to our children. Mirror, Mirror, on the wall … What would you like to see when you look at your reflection? As for me, I love the image of my kids waking to find me spending alone time with God. I have really been working on this & this week my heart jumped for joy when Trevor said, “Mommy, when you are done with your Bible study . . .” Instead of, “ . . . when you are done with the computer . . .” I want my children to see me as a Godly mama/wife/friend/woman. Our goals as mothers is to be a clear reflection of God. How are you reflecting God to your children?
This reminds me of a song by a good friend of mine, Lisa Lovejoy & her sister (2 Mom’s & Loving It),
“Mirror of Your Heart”
Her chubby hands somehow they look like mine,
Those big blue eyes are like her dad’s.
That pudgy nose is it mine or his?
How can one person look like two?
This miracle sent from God above
She’s so much more than I dreamed of.
She looks like us, does what we do,
Make our hearts look just like You.
A reflection of you heart that’s the most important part.
Now how they look, How tall they stand
As they grow and learn each day guide them gently to Your way
To be a mirror of Your heart.
I don’t know about you, but at times the fact that I am responsible for reflecting an image of God to my kids is totally overwhelming. But like Lisa points out, “we are models to our children whether we like it or not.” Besides, it is a huge comfort to know that God is the PERFECT PARENT & his children still disobey!
In order for us to give an image of God to our kids, we must keep our focus on Him! Our motives in parenting cannot be about us, but have to be established on His word. I have realized that much of my parenting is due to my own peace & quiet. My desire to have well-behaved kids is not for some higher godly purpose, but to make my life simpler. As a result, I am often quick to discipline them (sometimes in anger) when my comfort zone is intruded on. I don’t always consider how I’m modeling God to them.
During the first week of our study we read Mark 7:20-23 – Jesus explains that defilement comes from an impure heart, not the violation of external rules. This was very convicting for me because I often get caught up in the “rules” & I become a tyrant. I have to be reminded that not everything needs a consequence. Sometimes, LIFE will provide a big enough consequence. I truly believe that natural consequences can teach the biggest lessons. Jesus is more concerned with our children’s hearts than he is about how well-behaved they are.
My ultimate goal is not to have well-behaved kids. It is to have God-loving & God-fearing children. I have really had to reevaluate my parenting motives. Lisa explains, “If we parent with wrong motives, we will ultimately fall apart & loose it.” If you are like me & “loose it” more often than you’d like to admit – then we need to realize it is a tell-tell sign that our motives might not be pure.
No comments:
Post a Comment