DO YOUR KIDS A FAVOR - SLOW DOWN

When I was growing up - way, way, way, back in the 1950's and 1960's - my mother stayed home all day while my father went to work. BUT....That was then, this is now.  Times have changed and if I were growing up now, I'm sure that both my parents would have to have full time jobs.  

TRUTH:  God created people and although society changes.. our basic needs do not. 

God created families.  He did.  And if you search the Scriptures... you'll see that God created a system where parents would talk to their children.  We make God and His ways so complicated.. but.. really His plan for the family is pretty simple:

PARENTS.. talking to... THEIR CHILDREN.  That is God's way of saving the planet... creating peace.. harmony...  PARENTS talking TO and WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

So then... IF YOU HATED GOD..and wanted to destroy families... what would you do?  You would cause society to become a place where parents and children DO NOT SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME COMMUNICATING. You would create an atmosphere where being distracted, being rushed, being pressured and having access to instant information would be so attractive.. that we would ALL get used to concentrating on something else.. all the time.

We are being deceived.. those of us who go to church.. when we think satan's only tactic to destroy families is "SIN".  We are being distracted when we think that keeping them away from drugs and alcohol and sex is our only job.  

Because..one of the MOST DIABOLICAL tactics of satan is to create families TOO BUSY to talk.. and too busy to listen.  If God's plan is for parents to live a lifestyle of speaking to and with their children... about Him.. about His faithfulness.. about His plans... while you walk, while you sit, while you lay down.....it makes sense that if satan can keep us too busy or distracted to share with one another.. talk to one another.. share our hearts with one another.. he has thwarted.. in the most seemingly innocent way.. GOD'S PLAN FOR A HEALTHY FAMILY.
BUSY.. and.. DISTRACTED PARENTS... is one of his main schemes.  Focusing on anything but the souls of our children is focusing in the wrong place.

And when He comes and sends salvation to earth... one of God's main goals is to  "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers." (Malachi 4:6 and Luke 1:17)

A SOCIETY FILLED WITH FATHERS WHO HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM THEIR CHILDREN... AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM THEIR FATHERS... CAN NEVER THRIVE.   You can protest all you want about the sins of society, but if Christian families don't have time - don't insure they have the time - to talk to their children ABOUT THE WONDER AND LOVE OF OUR FAITHFUL GOD... it doesn't matter how we change society.  And parents need to talk to children about God.. so that parents can understand how their children feel ABOUT God.

While we Christians are busy protesting this, and complaining about that... satan is having a field day with families who don't realize how their too busy lives is his very successful tactic to steal their kids. 
 
So now, pay attention to an older woman here because this is GOLDEN advice.  GOLD.   Yes... it is.

• Dad. Mom. Please put your iPhones down and listen to that story your child is trying to tell you. The world will not cease to exist if you do not answer a phone call the moment it comes in. Calling someone back in fifteen minutes is not IMPOSSIBLE. IS IT?  NO.
• Check your email later.   What?  Check.  Your.  Email. Later. You will survive.
• Eliminate whatever you can so that you can have time to BE there with your kids. This could mean giving up a golf game, or a volunteer slot at church, or too many sports teams and practices, or TV, or youtube, or ..........
• Instruct your children to do the same thing.  No texting while talking to mom and dad.  Your children might need to be reminded that humanity as we know it survived for thousands of years without anyone texting anyone else.  It IS possible.
• Turn the phone off when your family is eating dinner.  And BTW... a dinner eaten together at a fast food restaurant is better any day than not eating together at all. 
• Do not expect your kids to understand that EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.. and EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY... the most important thing to you is a bunch of people you don't know and will never meet on a FOOTBALL FIELD.  Why should they have to understand that?  Why?  Every Sunday?  Every year? All the time?  This also applies to hunting, fishing, auto racing, bowling, baselball, basketball, golf.. etc.  It's true that every one - including parents - need some leisure.  This is GREAT. But when watching or doing these things becomes a religion.. it's too important.  Your kid is just a kid and may not understand why it's more important for dad to watch "Johnny Quarterback" every Sunday.. and why he has to understand why Johnny Quarterback is ALWAYS more important.. and honestly.. why IS Johnny Quarterback whom you will never know or meet.. more important than the kid who needs some attention from his dad on his only day off? 
• Go outside and play with your kids.  Yes. TURN THE T.V. off and go THROW a football for heaven's sake. 
• Stay inside.. turn the TV OFF.. and play a game with your kids.
• OR... here's a great idea... sit in the living room and let the kids talk about whatever they want to talk about and you listen to whatever they want to talk about.  Really. Try it.
• Take the time to tell your story to your children.  Tell them what you did growing up, what you liked, what you didn't like.  Tell them funny stories about times you messed up.
• Talk to them about God.  I didn't say preach at them.  I said talk to them about God. Let them ask questions.  If you don't have answers, admit it and search the Scriptures together.  
• Ask yourself some questions.  Like, "Do we REALLY have to belong to ninety six thousand sports teams?"  "Do we REALLY have to do so many things at church?" "Will God strike us dead if we stay home from church now and then?" "Do my kids REALLY need to spend nine hours a week learning karate?" "Should my kids miss Youth Group because I am working overtime to pay for our new car and cannot get home in time to drive to church?" "What will happen if we have a NO-TV-TONIGHT night once a month? Once a Week?" 

Your children are a gift from God. 

Do your kid a favor.
SLOW.  DOWN. 
TURN YOUR HEART TOWARD YOUR CHILDREN... and they will turn their hearts toward you...
And more importanty.. to  their Father who is In Heaven.
Just because the solution is simple doesn't mean it isn't a solution.

Love you,
Mrs. Older