Devotional

Devotional Lives for Families

So you’ve had a baby, maybe you have a couple of children.  You and your husband are wondering what happened to late night dancing and long strolls on the beach.  Well, they are just around the corner…when you retire.  However, greeting your new season with joy and deep satisfaction is entirely possible.  There is something amazing about having children, something God designed.  And when you embrace this very differently structured season, you will soon find a sweet peace, hearty character growth, and a whole lot of love and laughter.

Here are some ways to make this your family’s reality:

1. Let Go

A key part to living a Spirit filled life is embracing what is right before you.  To fully transition to your new life as a unit of 3 or 4 or 5 or 6… and no longer a single agent, you will find letting go of the old season and looking at what you have today is paramount to discovering the joys of family life.

Make a list of all the things you miss (jogging without strollers, uninterrupted showers, long quiet times with God, enjoying media during the day, eating out, sleeping when you want to, working full time, etc). Commit to pray over those things before the Lord, giving Him thanks for the season in which you used to enjoy them and asking him kindly to hold them for you, if it be His will, for your future.  Ask your spouse, family, and friends to pray for you to let go of specific times/experiences/freedoms from the season you are no longer in.

Make a list of all the things you have now that bring you joy (early morning feedings with a smiling infant, park dates with your friends and their children, soccer Saturdays, early bedtimes, never feeling lonely, etc). Commit to pray over these things, thanking God for these beautiful gifts and asking him kindly to help you not miss the hidden gifts of your beautiful season of family life.  Ask you spouse, family, and friends to pray for more joy, thankfulness, and contentment for your current season.

Psalms 37:4 “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

2.  Embrace Today

If there is one thing that every new parent hears, it is: “Enjoy this time, it passes so quickly”.  And though part of you wants to throttle that smiling person with grown children while you recount your 1 am, 3 am, and 5 am feedings, or the difficulty you are having with your 18 month old’s realization that they have a will, or the incredible mountain of laundry you seemed to have inherited; it is very important for you listen. Make it your daily mantra if you have to.  You only have today with these children: it passes quickly.

Slow down to see your children and to go at their pace.  Let go of any activities or things that keep you from enjoying each moment in your day at the pace of your children (including fancy meal prep or perfect house keeping).  You can not live at the pace of a single adult and be a family.  Families move slower.

 Practice presence of mind in each moment, be attentive to what God is doing.  Make it a regular habit when you are annoyed, upset, exhausted, loosing it, to look to God and pray, “Where are you in this moment God?  Please reveal yourself” .  Then, look for Him.  Notice Him in your child’s simple laughter, or the beauty of a breeze as you and your children play in the park.  Go outside with your children, sit with them on the floor and stack blocks, talk with them, listen to them, respond to them.  Don’t miss it.

A great book for this season is Practice the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. 

Imagine yourself him when he says he is just as spiritual peeling potatoes, cooking, washing dishes for God as when he is in the chapel praying. Find your daily chores (changing diapers, consistently setting boundaries, reading books, making meals) and put his mentality of serving Christ into your day.  See how much it changes your heart toward the work of domestic life and child rearing.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men Colossians 3:23

3.  Do With

Now that you are a unit, you can no longer go without thinking of others.  Selfishness is out the window.  But that is good, because there are all these fruits of the Spirit you have been meaning to work on, and now you have no choice.  (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Ephesians 5:22-23). 

As you do life with your children, the need for God’s Spirit is so much higher.  You can not afford to be impatient or lack gentleness or live without joy.  As you pray for God’s Spirit in each moment, you will begin to find yourself a person filled with the fruit of the Spirit.

Parenting is character building.  The iron sharpening you is your limited freedoms and your children’s needs, your spouse’s hopes for love and attention.  This is good.  Tell yourself so!

Remember how Jesus was always trying to get away to a quiet place and his disciples always sought him out and found him.  How did he greet them?  He was welcoming, inviting, instructing, and correcting.  Remember how Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus teach us to pray?  They watched Jesus life, they saw how powerfully connect to the Father he was, they wanted that.  They asked him, “teach us to pray”.  They knew him as a trusted source for their soul to follow.

So it will be with your children.  They are your disciples now.  You will too find them wandering into your devotional hour, with requests.  Invite them in.  Sit them on your lap and read the verse aloud to them, ask them what they know from the verse.  Pray the verse with them, or just memorize the verse quietly while you rock them in your lap.

You are to do life with.  Every moment with them, talk to them, listen to them, hear their hearts, correct their errors, enjoy their delights.  Avoid the temptation to have others, have experts, have hired hands raise your children for you.  God gave these children to you, not to others.  They are yours to raise, to rear, to teach, to love, and to guard. 

Pray all the time.  You can pray while changing a diaper or recite a verse that is written above the changing table.  When you are together at night, eat a meal slowly, talk about the day, enjoy each moment together, pray thanksgiving for the moments He gave you that day or the difficulties you faced. 

When you put them to bed, include in your nightly ritual prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of repentance, the Lord’s prayer or another verse.  These are key moments to find God in your mind and hearts, to right your thinking and align your heart to His.  Bring your children with you in your spirituality and devotional life.

Impress them [the Lord’s laws/ways] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Deuteronomy 6:7

Friends

I used to love hanging out with my friends. Elementary school, Junior High, High School, College are years filled with fun moments of riding bikes, watching movies, sharing pizza, and lots of time sitting in a den or park just sharing our hearts. How I love my friends.

In those same years, I can remember the feelings of insecurity, competitiveness, petty disagreements, and pretty small sighted values, including, the newest band, the clothes du jour, and the way to get around the tethers of our families.

Friends can meet a deep need to feel connected to another soul. There can be laughter, hope, encouragement, acceptance, and a sense of knowing and being known.

They can likewise, create a lowest common denominator experience, where fun withers into friction or worse, unfavorable foci's. Where group think removes conscience or at least lulls participants into homogeneous agreement to not make waves.


"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  Proverbs 18:24


Though children find delight in the companion of many similar minded or aged peers, wisdom shows us, it can lead to their destruction.  The desire for companionship in life is great, loneliness acute when isolated, but the salve is not many children surrounding ours.  In life, our children will be best served when they find true friends, friends that stick close.


"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Proverbs 17:17


A brother, is a true friend.  He has been born into the world to be with his siblings in adversity.  He is there to push them through tough times, to help, to pick up them up when they fail.

There are few friends who can love at all times.  Many love us when we are associated with power, and can offer easy access to the inner circle.  Few are able to stay loyal when we loose our status, and are not able to give one the sense of being central to the hub of importance.  Whether power filled or powerless, our brother is there.


Many love us when we are wealthy, and proximity guarantees good food, expensive entertainment, and pricey gifts.  Few are able to sustain friendship when the money is gone, the food is plain, the toys are few.  There is little reward for their efforts, and comfort is not abounding.  In feast or in famine, our brother is there.


Many love us when we are beautiful, charming, winsome.  Our fine polished look reflects beauty on them.  Few are able to cosy up when we are overweight, shabbily dressed, out of dated in our adornments.  There is little left to help them feel connected to their vanities.  At our peak and in the ashes, our brother is there.


Many love us when we are exciting, adventuresome, new.  We offer easy fun.  When the shininess rubs off, or the high energy level activity is not sustained, few find reason to stick around.  In our youth, and in our old age, our brother is there.


Good friends, are hard to find.  Yet, wisdom instructs, good friends are only the ones who are brothers or act like brothers.  Sticking close, loyal, helpful in adversity, remembering us even when we move far away.


When my children first started showing deep needs for connection to one another, my temptation was to find other families, neighbors, schools, and place them in contexts to "find friends", but as I prayed and studied the Bible, and remembered my own experiences of friends, I realized two things:  Family are our first friends.  Friends outside of family are hard to find, true, and similar to brothers.


Family are God's way of giving us true friends.  A family that is Christ centered, seeking to serve one another, befriend one another, helping one another, forgiving one another, is in house friendship; created from the very beginning of time.


"Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother..."  Ecclesiastes 4:7


Are you cultivated your children's first friendships, those in your homes?  Do they think of their siblings as their best friends?  Are you and your husband connecting with your children in such a way that when they become adults they will count you as their bestie, their closest BFF?  



Wisdom instructs us to be wary of those who love us for what temporary comfort we can give them, for we will be tossed aside when we can no longer offer it to them, or someone better comes along, and a deep discontentment will grow in our hearts.  Instead, the brothers in our lives, the sisters, the mothers, fathers, even cousins, who will love us without sway as to our popularity, cuteness, wealth, or offerings; these are the true friends we should be directing our children toward.  And we can do it, every day of our lives, every time we sit down to share a meal together, every evening as we read and pray, our friendship is growing and deepening, and becoming that beautiful friendship we all desire.

They are so few friends in life and their rarity causes them to be greatly cherished.  


Friends give good advice, push us to live rightly, and would never hurt us by flattery or charm:
"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" Proverbs 27:6


Friends are those who are willing to be Christ like to us, not competing with us or hoping to gain our approval, but striving to serve us and to give up moments in time, money, and selfish interests to find our greater good.
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13


My son often struggles with desires for things to go as he had planned them, so when his baby brother grabs his newly made Lego creation and crumbles it into many little pieces, his first thought is not friendship. I am able to remind him that he and his brother were designed by God to be friends, and how can he be a friend now to his little brother?  Usually, gushing follows, forgiveness, and then a quick desire to incorporate him into his play, in more appropriate ways.

My daughter finds herself wishing to be alone in her room, and when her nearest brother wants to follow, her response might be, "Mom, tell him to leave me alone".  


I remind her, "What is one of your primary missions on earth?"  And she remembers, she was made to befriend her brother.  Consideration is given, opportunities to play found, friendship made. 

Friendship, true friendship, is so needed in this life.  Life is hard enough, without friends, it is nearly impossible.


True friendship is cultivated over the many years we are in each other's presence in our homes.  It will return great reward when life's struggles come our way.  May each of your homes be spaces of beautiful sibling friendship developing.  And may your children find that instead of coming to ruin having too many trite companions, they have deep brother friends and like-a-brother friendships that will sustain them through this journey of life.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-11


May your heritage be a family of sacrificial loving friendship, with our Creator, and with your family members.  And on those rare occasions when another is willing to walk as a friend to one of our children: in hardship and plenty, giving honest answers, and helping when it is difficulty and costly, be sure to remind them what a precious gift that is. May each of your children experience friendship in their lives., brothers and like-a-brothers

Love

I just love love.  The total abandon given when our hearts lead us past our resisting minds and forcing our delighted wills, to relent.

Jesus, was my first true love.  Though, my father paved the way, with his gentle love of me when I was sick and his sweet allowance of me to shadow his gardening and hardware weekend work on the house.  When he was in town, I was stuck to him like glue.  When he was away on business or working late past my bedtime, my isolation was acute.

So, when someone told me Jesus loved me completely, regardless of my terrible temper, passionate opining, horrific acts of selfishness, and vain attempts for glory.  Jesus wanted me, and wanted me to want Him.  It was over, just over.  I was, literally, over the moon in love.  And the love affair is still going on.

Then there was Aron, my most adorable hunk of a guy, whose good looks could have gotten him through many a door, but he chose to hold it open for everyone else instead.  His amazing ability to love tenderly, yet with such competency at getting me to go where I needed to, to do what needed done, without so much as a word spoken, just amazed me, as it does to this day.  His fierce protectiveness of the unwanted and overlooked, is probably what brought me into his scope in the first place.  And, I am much the better for it.  Like my mom said when Aron asked my parents for my hand in marriage, "Mary Robin, you sure are lucky, don't ruin it."  I have been trying, and failing, ever since.  But, I have this hopeful love of a man who keeps coming back to take me to the seat of grace.  Even in my imperfections, I can not fail a "there is no such thing as failure" sort of a man as he.

Now, there are these four little ones, growing fast, but still my babies.  I am hoplessly in love all over again.  All the kindnesses of my father, the relentlessness of my Jesus, and the willingness of my husband has taught me well, at least I have experienced much, and so, their love trickles through me, and I find I can't take my eyes of my babies.  Not for one little second.  I am so in love.

So in love, my hope is for you to know love too.  May the God who is love, be your lover today.  And then, may some physical manifestations of the same come to you as well.  Then, close your eyes, sway your hips, let the tears come, laugh a deep heartfilled laugh, and enjoy the love, that is what it is there for; oh, and give some away too, that is the way it grows.

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.   

Psalm 90:14

*The She Speaks Conference is about women connecting the hearts of women to the heart of our Father God. Because my heart is to serve Him and His daughters, as He leads, I am submitting this post for a scholarship opportunity. If you are interested in doing the same, click below! 
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/03/how-christians-create-art-she-speaks-scholarship/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29

*Information about the She Speaks Conference can be found at the site listed below.
http://shespeaksconference.com/

Christmas Readings

We are huddled around the kitchen putting the last touches on our gingerbread houses, and eating little bits of candy as we go.  Pandora's "Christian Christmas" songs lift our spirits, the rain patters on the windows, the wind blows in a little cold front, and we settle into another family Advent season.

All of the world is exchanging gifts these weeks, symbolizing the greatest gift of all.  Christ Jesus was a vulnerable child willing to live a life of difficulty, discipline, and ultimately death, to give us salvation from our sins and freedom to soar.

As the cold snow or rain forces you and your family indoors, you might wonder what to do to keep your family fires burning. I thought you might like to hear some fun stories we have been and are currently enjoying.  May the spirit of Christ reign in your homes, even as these timeless stories bring a deeper understanding of the meaning of the season.  Here, my readers, is my little gift from our home to yours.

The following stories are for listening, free, online.

A Must Read for All Ages:
The Story of Christmas from the Bible
The beginning of all Christmastime, let your children enjoy a reading of the original Christmas story


Youngest Childhood Stories:
Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clark Moore

What is Christmas without a reading of this poem that solidified Santa Claus as an American icon?  Listen to one or two renderings and then, have each adult and child take a turn trying to make the story come alive, or do it it round, each child and adult getting a verse.  

The Mouse and the Christmas Cake by Anonymous

Adorable story of a curious mouse and his adventures.  Fun is had by all as the mouse brings a surprise visit on Christmas Day

Christmas Everyday by William Dean Howells

Hilarity reigns as a moment of selfish indulgence in a little girl's wish turns the world askew.  Enjoy this fairy tale with your little ones.  Work is worthwhile, one learns with this cute little story.  

Lil's Travels in Santa Claus Land by Ellis Towne

Do you enjoy the magical tale of Santa Claus in the North Pole who brings gifts to boys and girls?  Here, in grand detail, is a sweet story of one little girl's imaginings of what Santa Claus Land is really like.  A great read for a child who knows the truth, yet enjoys a good story or, for a child whose wonderment of Kris Kringle is still very much alive.

The Little Matchbox Seller  or The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen

Fairy Tales are the stories of childhood.  They bring a sense of magic and enter a child's world of toys and imagination.  Everyone has their favorite style: my eldest boy loves the Brothers Grimm's realism and just desserts, my daughter favors Madame d'Aulnoy's princesses and gentle endings, while I have always favored Hans Christian Andersen for his loyal characters and compassion for the poor.  If you can endure the melancholic situations, these two stories reveal the less than fortunate's Christmas hopes.

Legend of the Christmas Tree by Lucy Wheelock

A moral tale enunciating the parable of Jesus about feeding him when he was hungry.  Very well known among European children.

A Christmas Star by Catherine Pyle

A fictional rendering of how the star above Bethlehem inspired another little star.   Follow a sweet golden star, anxious to do good and be useful.  Caution, mentions the afterlife.

Middle Childhood Stories:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Turn this one on and sit by a fire to enjoy the beauty of a generous hearted Bob Cratchit and the fruit of that heart in his children's happy hearts, even as the vileness of greed epitomized in Scrooge is revealed for it's hollowness.  Surprise element: hilarity in subtle wit. A timeless classic.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

A sweet short story offering insight into the true meaning of Christmas.  Notice Magi, the gift bearers, are in the title, and you will see some amazing modern day gift bearers in this story.  Be ready for a tear or two.

Christmas Hymns and Poems by various

Children (and adults) who listen to poetry will find a depth of understanding not achieved elsewhere. Desiring more of the beauty of Christmas, my children and I daily listen to a few of these poems.  Some are well loved favorites, committed to memory, others, fanciful, others sobering, but each has its place in the Christmas season.  Read through the titles and choose ones that seem intriguing.  You will enjoy the rich rewards of a minute or two invested in these well worded pieces.

The Christmas Stocking by Frank M. Baum

A few minutes of your time and you will have some great facts about how the first stocking came to be.  Brought to you by the same author that gave us The Wizard of Oz, enjoy a moment at his feet learning more about this time honored tradition.

First Puritan Christmas Tree by Anonymous

A short little tale giving a glimpse into early American Christmas life.  Short, but lyrically captivating and sweet in form.  Good for those whose attention spans have yet to adjust to longer readings.  Shows a simpler time and the origins of our beloved Christmas Tree tradition.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus by Francis Pharcellus

Though arguing for Santa's existence, the point of this story is that hope and joy must reign and skepticism looses in the end.  We enjoy this story, even though we don't believe in Santa, as we see the beauty of faith in the intangible. This is the actual answer given to a real letter sent into a newspaper.  Show your child these artifacts: http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

Ask them how they would answer this question if they were a newsperson.  

English Christmas Greetings by Lewis Carroll

The author of Alice in Wonderland takes a moment to pen a Christmas greetings.  It rings as true today as when he first wrote it.

Later Childhood Stories:

Old Christmas by Washington Irving
Close your eyes and imagine yourself in another time and another place, a time when Christmas was a joyfilled pause in the calendar from work, to a place where hospitality was practiced by all good men.  Enjoy the pastoral views, the simple times, and the way people found Christmas at dinner tables.  I love Washington Irving's writings.  Be prepared to adjust to his 1700's language.  A true American writer.

A Country Christmas by Louisa May Alcott
If you loved Little Women, you must enjoy this four part short story of Christmas celebrated with great frivolity and fidelity.  Beautiful prose, I can not get enough of this dear author.  Scroll down this webpage until you find "08" recording, and there you will see her story.

Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket by L.M. Montgomery
Did you never get enough of Anne of Green Gables? Here, the author brings us a humble short story bringing where some moments go array, yet good is found in the end.  As always, the cheerful heart is clearly the best one for each of us and making do with what the Good Lord gives us, is the way to enjoy each moment that comes our way.

A Christmas at Sea by Robert Louis Stevenson
Who can resist Robert Louis Stevenson's love of adventure and boyhood wonder.  His rhymes established what many understand a poem to be.  Set in the hearty world of seafarers, Stevenson opens our eyes to a different version of Christmastime.

The Sweet Miracle by Eca de Queiroz

What would it have been like to have lived during the time of Jesus?  How would he change your world or what would you do to fully understand him?  Here a man struggles to believe and then does.  Very well written and set in beautiful Palestine of Jesus times.  This calls for a sophisticated listener, abounds with faith points.

"The Festival of Saint Nicolas", chapter 9 from Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodge

Though I encourage you to read the whole book when you have the opportunity, this Christmas enjoy a sweet telling of Holland's celebration.  Listen, as this modest home finds Christmas delight.  Learn how a child's character is taught and encouraged in a time of celebration.  Spoiler alert: Santa is talked of as a "parent's doing", so not for any young child who still believes in Santa.

The Christmas Angel by Abbie Farwell Brown
A story, similar to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", here we find an angel tossed out, toys forgotten, and a cold hearted Mistress of them all being moved to change her heart as the story unfolds.  Morals prevail in this sweet children's story.

A Christmas Tree by Charles Dickens
If you enjoyed A Christmas Carol, you might enjoy, A Christmas Tree.  Though not as charming, it contains some enchanting descriptions and memories of Christmas moments.

The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggins
A sweet story of the unexpected blessings a greeting can give.  If you have the time for a longer story, this is a good one.


For Adults only:

Poor Santa Claus by George Lewis

Sympathetic version of Santa's life.  Meant to have a tongue in cheek nod to parents.  Also, ends with the difficulty of inequalities on earth.  Sorrowful, but poignant. 

Want something a little more modern? To purchase or find at the library:

http://www.newchristmasbooks.com/?cat=3

Looking for a good book to buy for a gift?  Great books for all year round. 

http://www.childrensbooksandreviews.com/online-bookstore/

Merry Christmas, gentle readers.  May your days be merry and bright!

Guardian

"Your guardian has to sign in for you", the colorfully dressed man explains to my children.

Anxious to get started on their "building and testing" at Legoland, they motion impatiently for me to catch up to them.  Baby in hand (big 2 year old baby) I arrive, breathless, excited to fulfill my role as "Guardian" of my children, so they can be safely ushered into the building room.

I rest a along a wall while my children hurriedly whip about the room finding the right pieces to construct their dream car;  I find myself reflecting.

Guardian, a word I have seen on many forms, signed many times as the official guardian of my children.  And with it, all the connotations of that word began to come to me.

Stand Guard.  Protect.  Watch Over.  Stand at Alert at the Gates. Guard Constantly. Care for.  Nurture.  Provide Care for a Minor who as such, is Not Yet Capable of Managing Themselves.

That is what a mother is, a guardian.  I am: one who protects, who stands at the gates, who remains alert, who manages my under 18 year old minor children who can not yet manage themselves.  That is what every mother is, a guardian.

So, why is it, so many mothers, are not guarding their minors, not protecting their children, not sitting at the gates and monitoring who comes in?  Don't they know it will leave their child exposed, unprotected, in harms way?

And who does come in?

Well, television and computers bring incredible images that stick with a child for a long time. Advertising in magazines and educational videos that cause a child to unnaturally crave superfluous items are a terrible force on our young.  And of course, we are afraid of perfect strangers, who pose less of a threat statistically, thank the Lord.

These obvious threats aside, what are we to protect our children against?  For what should we be on guard?

A friend posted an uplifting article on bullying.  In it, a perfectly adorable 7 year old is being bullied for using the wrong cup, the socially unacceptable cup. I know!  Don't get me started.

I was so irate on the triteness of peer social trends and the enormous energy a family must invest in caring about it, plus the permanent damage on a child's soul that occurs in most schools starting as young as preschool!!  However, my just anger alerted aside, there was an amazing anecdote in the story.  And it came in the form of a mother; an attentive, live giving, guardian of a mother.

She first noticed her daughter didn't want to carry her favorite cup to school anymore. Second, took the time out of her busy day to converse with her child concerning the changed cup.  And third, blogged and advocated at the school for her child's freedom to "express herself" aka carry an "unpopular" cup to school.  And yes, I see the wasted energy here, and yes, I home school to avoid the needless pain over silly fad following children and the endless pressure they exert toward every child conforming to arbitrary standards in large institutional settings.

So, yes, the freedom to think on your own and draw creative conclusions to life's issues aside.  I was very proud of the mama in this story.  And I hoped that more mothers would be like her.

We are not only to raise obedient children with manners.  They step into the world as young ladies and men.  We guard them in preparation for success with their sweet attitudes and respectful ways.  But we are also to make sure, that along the way of growing up as good citizens and academically challenged youth, there are not impediments to their natural and God given talents, uniqueness, and ways of being.

God has called them to be who they are, and intuitively, they know this.  When they step up to new challenges, they need encouragement and every-step-of-the-way opportunities, to gain independent competencies.  They do not need: teasing, discouragement, distraction about pointless peer obsessions, or bullying.

Are you a guardian of each of your children?  Are you watching at the gates that no one enters unheeded?  Are you guarding their very souls with encouraging words and deflecting the discouragement that often comes at the hands of peers?  Are you raising a child of character, and thus guarding them for their future success in business and relationships?

You can begin to do more so today.  Take a moment, sit with your child.  Do it again tomorrow.  Find the sore spots and the unprotected areas, and then, shore them up! The arrows of the enemy are strong, and only those strongly defended, by their guardians, can protect them against penetration!

Be God's expression of a guardian to your children: Psalm 12:5

"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them."