A Parent's Job

Hello everyone!

Well, summer is in full swing but will soon be over before we know it! Ours has been very busy, filled with family, church, and kid activities, but a fun change of pace from the school-year routine.

Gloryana (almost 9) and Michael (5) just finished up their last swimming lesson last week. Michael was very excited to experience his first year of learning to navigate the water. Glory, however, (even though it is her third year) was less-than-thrilled, since being required to dunk her face in the water and jump off the diving board were to her, simply the worst disasters of her summer break! Before the first lesson, she experienced the usual butterflies that accompany the start of a new endeavor. But after she learned that the inevitable jump off the diving board was imminent, the following days brought whole new drama to our morning routine of trying to get everyone fed, ready, and in the van on time. First came the refusals to eat breakfast, then the declarations that she was sick, then repeated trips to the restroom (both at home and at the pool), and finally the laying down in the fetal position on the seat of the van moaning, "I don't want to go!"

Since mercy/compassion is not the strongest gift the Lord has given me, the first couple of mornings I simply gave her the "get over it-we are going anyway" speech. But as it seemed to get progressively worse as the days went by, I was suddenly taken back to instances from my own childhood when I can remember being gripped by fear as well, even to the point of physical sickness. As I thought about it, I recalled how no one ever taught me how to deal with the fear and overcome it. Although with the help of the Holy Spirit I have learned to achieve victory over fear and timidity as an adult, I thought about how much farther I would have been earlier in life if someone would have taught me the Bible way of dealing with it as a child.

So after that, I took time on the drive each morning arming my daughter with ammunition from the Word of God to help her see herself as the conqueror and overcomer she is. We took authority over the mind-set of fear and filled her with verses about how she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her. By the last couple of days of her swimming lessons, she couldn't wait to get there for the chance to jump off the diving board again! Although this particular circumstance might seem like a small one, as she learns to apply the Word in these little things, when she encounters big challenges in life, she will be well-able to face them and win.

Looking back on my family line, I could see where fear dominated some of my relatives' lives for generations. What iniquity is in your family tree? What tendencies were you raised with that are anti-Scriptural? As parents, it is our holy duty to address and change these things in our own lives so that they are not passed on to the next generation. After that, we must ask the Holy Spirit to teach us the right way so that we can demonstrate this to our children in every day life. What we do not deal with, our children will have to.

Proverbs 20:7 (NIV) says, "The righteous man leads a blameless life, blessed are his children after him."

Righteousness= peace and freedom from bondage in every area
Sin=absence of peace; bondage

Let us be parents who leave a heritage of peace and freedom in our family lines for generations to come!

Pastor Jeff and I love you!

Blessings,
Pastor Rebecca