Photo: Evgeniya Bulva

I used to have cute hair… funky, short, lots of product, lots of color – great, cool hair. Now I have frumpy mom, ponytail hair. How did this happen?

Well… in my previous life I had a career, a house, a nice car, and lots of time to focus on myself. I eagerly anticipated my bi-weekly mani-pedi’s and monthly haircuts—always happy to try out a new style or color. I used to have time to go to the mall just to browse and shop, maybe picking up a great new outfit here or there without having to check my bank balance first.

But about seven years ago, I quit my job, sold my house, bought a backpack, lots of Lonely Planet books and left the U.S. to travel for a year. I did this to prevent a total nervous breakdown. Luckily it worked.

Then I fell in love, moved to Hawaii, got married, moved to England, had a baby, moved to Japan, had another… and somewhere in there my hair grew. I didn’t really grow it on purpose, but hair tends to move on if you don’t stop it. Initially it was just too hard to get it cut when I couldn’t speak the language of the country I was in (I tried it once with disastrous consequences). Then I just seemed to get too busy. And so it grew and grew and grew. Happily, it now fits into a ponytail which is where it spends 9 out of 10 days. When I look in the mirror (when I have the chance) I think—lazy hair. When I look in the cabinet and find not a SINGLE hair product I think—style-less hair. When I occasionally blow it dry and wear it down and my husband complements me I think—get me to the A/C, it’s so hot on my neck!!

Now, I don’t want to sound like a whiny mom, complaining about how wonderful it used to be when I was single and how I gave up all these things to be a wife and mother, blah, blah, blah. I actually gave them up quite happily. I’d spent 30 years focusing mostly on myself. It’s actually been a great relief and wonderfully fulfilling to think about other people for the last few years. I’ve been able to pour my energies and my talents into making a family, into creating a home for us. It’s been cool.

Yucky Hair

But my hair is yucky (as my two-year old would say).

And I think maybe it’s time that I get cute hair again. Nothing that’s going to take hours to fix… but something fun and sassy and maybe even lightly colored. The kind of hair that Solomon was talking about when he said, “Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead” (Song of Solomon 6:5),—because I’m guessing that’s a good thing? Or when he wrote, “Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses” (Song of Solomon 7:5),— that one sounds better.

Of course, the Bible also cautions us against placing too much emphasis on outward appearance, but I think taking some time for ourselves and feeling good about our appearance can actually make us better parents and spouses. I think I might actually be better for my family if I have cute hair!

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
______________________________

By Joelle Yamada. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture take from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Importance of Hair

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Studiomill

Things were going badly where I work. Management implemented a new system that blocked progress. The project I was on soon fell behind schedule.  

Only those that ignored the new system and continued using the old methods made progress. Management diagnosed the lack of progress as due to a lack of employee enthusiasm about their new and wonderful system, not the new system. The only way around the system was to conceal what you were doing. To lie to the bosses.

“What is the big deal?” my son asked. “It is not as if your bosses encourage the truth. If lying is the only way to get the right thing done, why is that wrong? People tell white lies all the time.”

His questions were an opportunity to teach something about honesty, and explain why the work environment so disturbed me. This is what I told him:

I am not above shading the truth in a social situation. If a friend wearing an outfit that I think is absolutely awful,  asks me what I think, I will likely not say, “That looks terrible on you.” More likely I will say, “Well, it certainly is original.” That is not quite a lie, if not the absolute truth.

Tell the Truth?

Yet telling absolute falsehoods, even – perhaps especially– for the best of reasons, makes me uneasy. Christ states “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Turn that around to see the price of lies. If the truth sets you free, lies enslave you.  

Once you start lying, it becomes easier to continue lying, lowering your threshold about what constitutes an adequate reason to lie. Lying to the bosses to protect bosses from their folly easily becomes lying to bosses to protect yourself from inconvenience. Then it becomes lying to give yourself an advantage over your boss and coworkers

Moreover, when you are lie – even in an environment where lying is an accepted norm – soon no one knows whether they can rely on you. Certainly you will be unable to rely upon your coworkers. The environment becomes toxic.

Fortunately, soon after that conversation with my son, things changed. Some employees started leaving – including one of the best, who stated in an exit interview that he was leaving because lying was not part of his job description. Policy changed. Honest communications returned.

I was glad at the change, because I could not have stayed otherwise. My co-worker was right. Lying was not part of the job.

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
______________________________

By Mark N. Lardas. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: The Price of Lying

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Heleen Davies

“They grow up so fast!”

I can’t count the number of times I heard that sentiment expressed when my twins were small. “Can’t be true!” I told myself. There were days that I could not see beyond the dirty diapers, piles of laundry and need for constant supervision. The toys scattered over the floor seemed so endless. The effort required to teach little hands to pick them up, more so. To say that mothering small children can be wearying would surely be a monumental understatement.

I had worked up until the time my boys were born and I hate to admit it, but many days I longed for the order and quiet of an office somewhere. I had loved being up and out of the house early, getting dressed for work, spending my days interacting with people. As much as I loved my children and was so thankful that I could be home with them, I found myself frustrated with being a stay-at-home mom.

While I was in the midst of my early frustrations, a friend, who is an accomplished musician, whose talent as an artist is evidenced by the paintings gracing the walls of her home, who loves to golf -  told me that she had not done any of those things until her children left home. “Wow,” I thought, “there truly is life beyond toilet training!”

Cherished Memories

It made me stop and realize that the frustrations I felt were just part of that season of motherhood. All too soon it would pass and a new season would come. Each season would bring with it both challenges to be met and delights to be enjoyed. I can’t honestly say that I miss all those diapers, but the cute things my children did and said during that season will always be some of my most cherished memories.

More than fourteen years have gone by and with them several seasons in my life as a mother. As the years have passed I have come to love being home with my kids. Sure, there are still days when the bathroom becomes my retreat (you know what I mean, moms!), when I long for peace and quiet and moments free from the responsibilities of meals and laundry and cleaning, when the task of instilling godly values weighs heavily on my heart. But there are other days when I find myself mourning the fact that my boys will be leaving home in just a few short years. “How could the years have passed so quickly?” I ask myself.

As I anticipate the arrival of yet another season, instead of mourning its end, I remind myself to enjoy the season that is; the family times that I treasure, the joy of watching my children mature and develop into the adults God desires them to become. And I know that when that new season dawns there will be challenges that will stretch and grow me in new ways as a mother, but along with those challenges there will be new and wonderful experiences to enjoy.

Enjoy your season!

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
______________________________

By Leslie Olin. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Seasons of Motherhood

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: James Farmer

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
 
My father has always been my mentor, spiritually and in other aspects of life. Growing up, I can remember him complimenting people on the fine work that they did. I especially noticed that he did this for those who worked service-type jobs that people so often take for granted. One time Dad complimented a flight attendant who was having to deal with some passengers who were treating her rudely. She was so thankful that she arranged for my dad to sit in first class! I’ve tried to follow my dad’s example and treat others with courtesy and respect.

Last year my husband and I were fortunate to be able to fly to a vacation spot. On one of the longest legs of our flight, which was about four hours, I sat between my husband and an over-sized woman with a persistent cough. Now this cough wasn’t an ordinary cough but one that sounded like she was going to wretch up her stomach. In intervals of 15 seconds she coughed and coughed. I became physically ill.

Not Only Sick but Angry

When I realized this woman was not only making me sick but angry, I started to pray, Lord, please make this woman stop coughing. But the coughing persisted.

Then a thought came to me. This poor woman must be miserable herself. So I changed my prayer: Lord, this woman is not doing well. For her sake help her stop so she can get some relief and feel better. Not too much later the coughing let up a bit, and my tolerance improved.

Throughout the flight the attendant could tell I must be uncomfortable sitting next to this woman, but I was always polite and always smiled. At the end of the flight I had fallen asleep with my head on my husband’s shoulder when I felt something being placed in my lap. When I opened my eyes, to my surprise, there was a bottle of champagne with a cloth napkin wrapped around it. Written on the napkin was the message “Thanks for your smile and manners, from American Airlines, Flight 847.”

To this date the unopened champagne bottle reminds me to always treat people with respect, and to pray for those who are making people miserable, because they themselves are probably even more miserable.

Can you think of someone who bugs you? Maybe it’s prayer time!

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Kari St. Clair. Excerpted from Fit Forever, compiled by Kay Kuzma, copyright © 2005 by Review & Herald Publishing. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Learned on Flight 847

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo:  Dreamstime

As I recall swings of my childhood, I equate the swinging with happy memories. How is it possible to swing and not feel happy? There’s an elation to the movement, be it just up in the air a little ways like a porch swing or a glider that simply moves back and forth or one that allows you to fly high up as a tree swing or a gym-style yard swing.

I remember an old, fat dog named Judy, who used to sit and seemed to smile at me when I visited a childhood friend and we sat on her swing and giggled. Over the years, a variety of cats shared swings with me. My cats always shared my secrets with me or at least I told them my secrets.

I even hold memories of a long vine swing that hung high in a woodland tree that was communally owned (the swing, that is) by many kids. It seems that swing was always there. I have no idea who first put it there in the trees, probably a father who wanted the neighborhood boys to enjoy pretending they were Tarzan. But we girls enjoyed it too.

My happiest childhood swing times however were sitting on a homemade swing, hung from a great old tree, with a wooden seat made by a friend’s dad.

An early parenthood memory is a tandem swing we bought for our backyard. The kids loved it! Four swingers could fit and swing at a time. It not only served as a fun swing but as make-believe trolley cars and airplanes.

Good Family Memories

Swings definitely hold good family memories for me. As my husband and I grew older, a porch swing became our swing of choice, though styled differently from earlier ones. It hung from chains in an A- frame. Yet it moved just the same way. We held hands for long spells as we sat and on summer evenings, swinging and talking. We usually talked happy-talk but sometimes the talk turned to problems we faced. It seemed the very act of slowly swinging helped us come to a resolve.

We’ve downsized now and have no room for a full-sized swing on our small porch. Recently we visited new friends who are swing enthusiasts. They have five, two on their front porch, two on their back patio and one in a picnic area they’ve built on their acreage. When I saw those swings, I turned into Goldilocks and just had to try them all. Such fun.

Swings even make me think of the Bible. For me they are like the soothing sounds of a harp such as David might have played. They bring a sense of joy, erase cares of the day, and provide relaxing moments. Yes, and even serve as a place to solve family problems.

A new small love seat-style swing is soon to replace the folding chairs on our small apartment porch because we don’t have Israel’s sweet singer/harpist around but we remember the next best: a swing.

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Betty Kossick. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Swinging

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Anissa Thompson

Every day around 4 p.m. my husband comes home from work. He looks tired, but is always enthusiastic to talk to me and spend some quality time with our two children.

Our son is almost two years old. His greeting for Daddy is filled with any form of expression he has been practicing that day. Maybe he will run up to Daddy with wide open arms, longing to be picked up. Other days he is practicing his words and he will say, “Hi Dad.” The greetings change, but all of them are expressions of love stating that he is pleased to know that his Daddy is home.

Then there is a more challenging greeting from our seven-month-old little girl. She is still very attached to mommy and hardly wants anyone else to hold her. Daddy reaches out for her and some days it may be alright for a few minutes, other days the tears are almost instantly as she is placed in his arms. However, she will happily come back to Mommy and smile at Daddy from a distance to acknowledge Daddy is home.

Children’s Greetings

My two little ones adore their Daddy, but have very different ways of expressing it. A huge difference is their ages and their ability to fully understand what is happening. In both of my children’s greeting there is a love an appreciation for Daddy’s return.

When observing my two children, I picture how God must view my greetings to him. Whether I’m singing a worship song at church, or just going about my daily business, my communication to God the Father growing and changing? Between the ages of seven months old and almost two years old the differences in expressions are hard to miss. I know I cannot possibly have learned every greeting to share with my Father God. My desire is to keep learning new ways to show Him love.

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
_____________________________

By Marion Ruybalid. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Hello Daddy

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Erwin Purnomosidi

Oh, the memories. Rainbow squares. Peppermint forests. Chocolate swamps. And the King of Candy. It’s amazing how strong childhood memories can be. It’d been 30+ years since I’d played this famous kid’s game, but it all came rushing back as I took the plastic off a brand new box this week.

My three year old chose to be the little red piece, I took the green, and we began. He mostly understood the idea of moving to a square matching the color on the card he drew. He did not understand the idea of staying along a path. He pretty much went to the first red or green or purple that he saw.

At one point in the game, I landed on a bad square and was sent back to Peppermint Forest near the start of the game. On his next turn, Jake drew a yellow square. I watched as he searched for one and then he looked back at my lonely green guy and said, while moving his piece next to mine, “Momma, I’m just going to stay with you.”

Being with Me

I love that at his age, my son still prizes being with me over beating me. How different from the world he’ll grow up to know where getting ahead of the next guy is the only goal. Where being first, fastest, richest, smartest and most beautiful is of utmost importance. And you’re only really the best if there is some poor guy stuck back in Peppermint Forest. There isn’t a first without a last. I pray that he will continue to care for those who fall behind, to be more concerned for their welfare than for winning.

But there is another reason that his comment hit me square in the heart. As a kid I remember hearing a lot about God’s plan for me and the path he had set out before me. And when I messed up and made bad choices, I wondered how I would ever get back to that path where He was. Gratefully, I learned one day, that this God of ours does not leave us when we misstep or take a fall back to Peppermint Forest. He’s not somewhere standing on the right path impatiently waiting for us to catch up. He chooses to stay with us, just like my son did. Not just when we are lying beside green pastures and still waters. He is with us in the valleys, too. He says, “I’m just going to stay with you.” (from Psalms 23).

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
______________________________

By Joelle Yamada. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Candy Land

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Joe Kucharski

“I’m very concerned.” A well-meaning church member had cornered my wife about a particular way that we were raising our children, and she was explaining the “right way” of doing things. My exhausted wife wearily smiled and attempted to give an explanation.

If you’re a parent of little ones, you know all too well just how frustrating it can be. Kids don’t come in “well behaved” packages, nor do they come with individual instructions. Being a good parent can be frustrating. No, let me rephrase that, it can seem almost impossible at times. Why is it that the only people who seem to think they’re the experts on raising kids are the ones who don’t have any?

Here are a few ways that you can deal with well-meaning individuals who seem to believe they have all the answers:

1. Smile and be nice. Getting angry and spouting off at someone who is sticking their nose in your business may only confirm your inability as a parent in their eyes. Thank them for their concern and let them know that you are doing the best you can.

2. Make sure that you know where you stand on parenting, and why you have taken that position. Be ready to kindly, but firmly explain it in terms that anyone can understand. Be prepared to hold that position if you know that it is right.

3. Pray the serenity prayer when you are feeling angry towards people who feel so enlightened about parenting issues. Here’s the prayer in three parts:

a) “God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change;”  You can’t change people’s attitudes towards your parenting, and God doesn’t ask you to. Seek the Creator’s peace about the fact that you will never please everyone—no matter how hard you try.

b)  “courage to change the things I can;” let’s face it, we all can improve our parenting skills. And, some piece of advice (even from an obnoxious know-it-all) may have merit. God can help us have the courage to change what needs changing.

c) “and the wisdom to know the difference.” As parents, we’re often limited to what we can and cannot change. Our Divine Counselor can help us to know the difference.

Good parenting isn’t easy, and it never has been. Dealing constructively with those who think they have all the answers can help us find some of the balance we search for.

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
_____________________________

By Michael Temple. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: "Know-It-All" Person

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Anka Draganski

All those little pink and blue chicks are kind of cute, and lots of kids like to have an Easter egg hunt. But think about it – is the Easter Bunny really teaching your child anything valuable?

Now wait — I’m not downing traditions. If your family enjoys the artistic process of painting eggs, go for it! There are, however, many other meaningful ways of celebrating Easter that focus on the true reason for the holiday – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In springtime, the theme of new life is overwhelmingly upon us. Everywhere we turn we see new baby animals, new shoots poking through the ground and new flowers on the trees. As you point these wonders out to your children, gently explain to them about the wonder of new life in Christ. When your children need new clothing for the warmer weather use that opportunity for talking about how, in Christ, the old things pass away and all things become new (2 Corinthians. 5:17).

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Easter Celebrations

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Anand Nerkar

Three months after I got married, my husband and I were blessed to find out we were expecting a son. We did not try to plan out when we wanted to have children, but I think that in my mind I had decided that a year after our wedding would be an ideal time. Regardless of my “preplanned” ideal, the moment I found out I was pregnant a huge smile took over my face. I was happy, but also slightly worried, and apprehensive.

My husband was still in his last year of college. I had just gotten a job to support both of us. Added to this, I did not know anything about pregnancy and neither did my mother. I am adopted and my mother was never able to have a baby of her own. I felt alone and somewhat afraid of what it would be like to be pregnant for nine months, not to mention the actual giving birth factor.

Longed to Have a Baby

In the midst of this confusion I happened to be reading 1 Samuel 1:10-11. “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. And she made a vow, saying, ‘O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life…’” This verse made me think of two things, my mother who had, like Hannah, longed to have a baby of her own and my own situation. Then I was able to be completely thankful that God was blessing us with a son. I realized that even if we might be having a child a little sooner than expected, one never really knows when it will be best to have a child. Also, having a baby is a gift.

From the moment my son was born I knew it would be impossible to imagine my life without him. He is almost two now and of course we have had to go through some challenges. We were not quite as financially stable as some when we had our first child, but we are making ends meet. I would say that the joy of his presence has offset any challenges we have had to face. God is good.

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Marion Ruybalid. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture take from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Baby Boy

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Shonato

Zero is an unusual number. By itself it is nothing. Zero. Naught. A record of emptiness. A place holder. Despite this, it has many functions. On one side of the decimal it can increase the value of whatever it is standing next to. A one (1), alone, is a single entity. Just one. When a zeros stands alongside the one, the value of both jumps to 10.

On the other side of the decimal zero has the opposite effect. Zero decreases the value of whatever it stands next to. Decimal 9 (.9), alone, is almost whole. When zero stands next to it, the nine loses a tremendous amount of value. What was once 90 cents (nearly a dollar) suddenly drops in value to a mere 9 cents! (.09) 

Feelings can also fluctuate in perceived value. I know this as a fact in my own life. Sometimes when life relentlessly presses in on me I end up feeling like a zero. A nothing. Naught. A place holder.

On Which Side Will I Stand?

Facing this realization, I have a decision to make. On which side of the decimal will I stand? Even though I feel like nothing, I, as a human being with a choice, can choose my position in relation to the “numbers” around me. I can choose on which side of the decimal I will stand. I can choose to put my zero next to a 1 and together make a 10 or I can choose to put my zero next to a .1 and decrease its value to a mere fraction of what it was. I can take .1  and bring it down to a single cent. (.1 to .01) or I can stand next to a lone penny and increase it to a 10.

Despite my feelings of worth, I can choose to do something positive. I can choose whether I will be a place holder, a “nothing” that adds value to the person I am near or whether I will be a place holder, a “nothing” that decreases the value of who I am near. That’s a lot of responsibility. 

I guess “zero” can be worth a lot in a marriage and in a family!

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By C. Rene Ammundsen. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Feelin’ Like Zero

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Anissa Thompson

Brenda and I were about the same age. We had two children each—an older daughter and a younger son. We took our children to church regularly when they were young and we both continued to attend church as empty nesters. We both really loved and liked our children and prayed for them often. Our mothering styles were similar and we enjoyed spending time with our children. That’s where the similarities ended.

First, Brenda’s husband was not a Christian and was an alcoholic. Although he loved his children, he wasn’t a good influence. My children’s father was a kind Christian man who was a good example.

Brenda’s children attended public school through high school. My children attended Christian schools through college.

Brenda’s son began using drugs and alcohol in his teens and was killed while driving drunk when he was 21, leaving an infant son and the child’s unmarried mother. Brenda’s daughter was a successful Army officer, but had two rocky marriages behind her before she was 30.

My children graduated from college, were virgins when they married at 25 and 30, attend church regularly and so far have happy marriages.

What made the difference? It had little to do with me or Brenda but had everything to do with the friends they made.

Here’s what I think.

Can you make good Christian friends in public school? Absolutely.

Were there more choices in a Christian school? Yes, I think so.

Are there bad influences in Christian schools? Yes. There were drugs, alcohol and premarital sex, but since the school was small and I knew all my children’s friends, I was able to encourage the friendships that I thought would be good for them. They often led out in youth activities with their friends and ended up attending the same Christian college, where they continued to be leaders in religious activities.

Did some of their friends choose unhealthy activities? Yep. What happened then? Their friends helped them get back on track and held them accountable – an activity they continue to maintain.

Is good parenting important? Absolutely, but I truly believe that the best thing we can do for our children is help them develop Godly friends. “A friend is always loyal” (Proverbs 17:17).

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Dee Litten Reed. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the New Living Translation © copyright 1996.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Friend or Foe

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: Rezi Gurashi

I found it out in our garage the other day—my Creative Writing Journal from a high school class. One of the entries took me back 30 years and 450 miles away to my childhood home. I had written in large, teenage-style handwriting about a night I could still remember vividly as I read:

“It was late at night when I finished the last of my homework. I got up from the dining room table, switched off the light and crept down the darkened hallway. As I turned to enter my bedroom, I saw a soft light coming through a small crack in my parent’s open bedroom door. ‘Hmm…I thought they’d gone to sleep thirty minutes ago,’ I said to myself. Wanting to say goodnight again, I put my hand in the crack to open the door a little wider. But I didn’t speak. I only looked. There in the dim light of a bedside lamp were my Dad and Mom kneeling across the bed from each other, heads bowed in silence, hands folded in prayer. Seeing them praying made me think back to when they didn’t know God–to when none of us did. Now we all know Him. He’s a part of our family. Little did we know that for years something was missing. Actually, Someone was missing. Not wanting to interrupt, I returned the door to its former position, smiled to myself and went into my room. I put on my pajamas, pulled back the covers, knelt by my own bed…and prayed.”

Actions Better Than Words

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Some child training, maybe even most of it, isn’t done best through words but through actions. Telling our children they should pray is one thing. Having them see us, their parents pray, is another.

I now have a daughter of my own. She doesn’t stay up later than my husband and I–yet. But when she does, I hope that one night, when she goes to bed late after finishing her homework, she’ll see a light coming from our room. Wanting to say goodnight again, she’ll open the door to see her Mom and Dad on their knees, praying. And then maybe one day, when her own daughter goes to bed late after finishing her homework….

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Nancy Canwell. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Praying Parents

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.

Photo: C. Kammerer

In January my younger brother got married. I was the best man. Our older brother conducted the ceremony.

None of us are in the first blush of youth. Nearly thirty years earlier, my younger brother had served as best man at my wedding. Then twenty-one, I was the first of the three of us to marry and start a family. Since that day both of my other brothers had also married – although my younger brother’s first marriage fell apart early on. That did not stop him from being an excellent father to his daughter from that marriage.

In fact all three of us had children – eight between the three brothers. Seven of them were present for the ceremony. Only my oldest, who had just taken his first professional job after graduating from college, could not make it. It was the first time that all of the family had been together since my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary six years earlier.

Something remarkable happened in the intervening years. The children I remembered – my nieces, nephews, and sons – were gone, replaced by young adults. Even the youngest were on the edge of becoming grown-ups.

The first hint that things had changed happened the night before we left for the wedding. When I got home, I discovered that my middle son – who is now in college – had shaved off his scruffy beard and gotten a haircut. The child when I departed in the morning had been transformed into a handsome young man.

Closer to being Adults than Children

When the family got together, I discovered a similar change had occurred to my two nieces – both now were young women. One had finished college and looking for a “real” job. The second was in her junior year at college. My oldest two nephews were asking me about careers instead talking about of Go-bots and Pok-e-mon. My youngest nephews and youngest son were still in high school, but they, too, were closer to being adults than children.

Looking at that generation, that of our children, I knew this wedding was the last big show by my generation. My wedding and my younger brother’s wedding bookend my generation’s leading role in our family’s story. The next big family wedding would see our children replace us in that role.

That realization was bittersweet. Like the flowers, my brothers and I have blossomed. The seeds we produced are now ready to set forth: to germinate, to blossom into flower, and to create new seed. My brothers and I may soon fade – like last year’s blooms, but there is a magic in watching the next generation step into our role.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

Respond to this article   View Reader Comments
______________________________

Written by Mark N. Lardas. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Generations

Articol preluat la noutati.intercer.net de la Family First.