"And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;you shall be called the repairer of the breach,the restorer of streets to dwell in." Isaiah 58:12
Our children are growing up in a wicked culture. Maybe cultures throughout the ages have been wicked. In fact, I'm sure they have - wickedness came in the Garden and the heart of man has not been getting any better in the past 5 or 6,000 years. Maybe it is the advent of the internet and other forms of "instant" communication that seems to have taken depravity to a whole new level. Now, not only is our culture careening downhill, people are plastering their sins all over the internet for everyone to witness. I guess some people will take their "five minutes of fame" any way they can get it!
As parents, we have to find a way to teach our children to successfully navigate this culture. The passage in Isaiah also says,
"Is this not the fast I choose,
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard."
When I look at these verses, I know that my job is to guide my children in truth, and to live out that truth myself. My job is not to "hide myself from my own flesh" but to "undo the straps of the yoke and loose the bonds of wickedness." That is a big job. The big-ness of it all scares me too death. In her book What Is Family, Edith Schaeffer says, "The primary place for the flag of truth to be handed on is in the family. The truth was meant to be given from generation to generation…." I totally agree with this statement and in my head and heart I know it is in the day to day that I pass on these truths to my children. From the time they are babies, we sing about all that God made. At two or three when they begin to ask the "little" questions that eventually turn into the "big" questions of life, we talk about it all. We explore together all that God has done - throughout history and in our own lives. There is no academic subject that we pursue apart from Him. If He is not in the math book, then to me it is pointless. We do everything we do to bring glory to God - the urgency that I feel not to waste time is overwhelming to me sometimes.
Please don't hear me say that everything we do is "religious." In fact, my hope is that NOTHING we do is "religious." I'm going to end this post with pictures from our family trip last weekend to Sea World. We do things that could be construed as a "waste of time" and we certainly do not sit around our family table all day long with an open Bible.
The rest of the passage in Isaiah says this,
"If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail."
We must live in a continual state of eternal focus. That doesn't mean that we are super spiritual giants. In fact, I think it means that we humbly recognize our state of neediness. I can do nothing for God, in fact, He doesn't need me at all. I need Him, desperately, and I have to live in such a way that I recognize that. No matter what I am doing at the moment, whether it is spending the day playing with my kids at the beach, having dinner out with my husband, volunteering my time at a homeless shelter, sharing Christ with the cashier at the grocery store, or changing another dirty diaper and cleaning up yet another mess - I must do it for no other reason that to make Him known.
Even as I write this though, I am on the verge of tears because I know how horribly I fail sometimes. My kids are amazing - they are spiritually mature beyond their years in many ways and they ask the most thought provoking questions. However, sometimes they just want to wear too much makeup, dress in trendy clothes, and be "normal." If I am honest with myself, sometimes I do too! We live in an area of the country where designer clothes and luxury vehicles are the absolute norm. It is not rare if the stay at home moms drive brand new Lexus SUVs, in fact, it is unusual when they don't! That is within and outside of the "church." The temptation is there for me as well as for my kids to just be like everyone else. It is ok to be materialistic and self-absorbed sometimes, right?
Actually, no, it is never ok. I didn't say I never do it, but I think the mistake is making excuses for it. It is, always has been, and always will be - a sin. Not driving a Lexus SUV, please don't hear me wrong - it makes no difference to God, and certainly not to me, what kind of car you drive. The point is the attitude about the "things" and the place they take in your life. In the book Radical, which I am finished with and have MUCH more to say about (another day), the author talks about the rich young ruler in the gospels who is asked to sell everything he owns and give the money to the poor. I do not have the exact quote in front of me, but David Platt talks about the mistake we have made in the American "church" by rationalizing that story and saying that God doesn't really mean for everyone to do that. He goes on to say that it is true that God doesn't ask everyone to do that, we can see that in Scripture, but just because He doesn't ask everyone to do it, does not mean He doesn't ask anyone to do it. I believe that in our American culture, self-absorbed that we are, many churches teach (some without even meaning to) that God "blesses" those who are faithful. To our ears "blessings" equal money and stuff. Another point relevant to this is that even though God doesn't command everyone to sell all that they own, He does make clear that all that we own belongs to Him. The very people who hold on so tightly to their stuff just may be the ones He is commanding to let it go. We have to live in light of eternity if we are truly followers of Yahweh. He doesn't need our stuff, but He desires that we live in such a way that others can see His attributes in us. He was not selfish and materialistic. In fact, He had no place to lay his head and likely owned nothing (except the cattle on a thousand hills, which He left behind for our sake).
I know I have already said this, but the big-ness of the task at hand is terrifying to me! I want nothing more than to see my children walk in truth, to see them dance the dance that God has planned for them. The choices are too daunting sometimes and the closer my older two get to adulthood, the more terrified I am! Has it been enough? Do they know Jesus intimately? Have we done enough, sacrificed enough, taught enough??? The honest to goodness truth is that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the answer to those questions - NO! I haven't done enough, been enough, loved enough, or sacrificed enough. The only redeeming news is that Jesus has! He is enough and He has done enough to cover all of my sins and my mistakes. He is the only One who can redeem my children and put them on the path that is right for them.
Still, I am their Mama and I am human and sometimes I am scared. Scared that I have done something all wrong. I want them settled, satisfied, and running hard after Jesus. I forget sometimes how long it took me to realize that I wanted all those things - and I have yet to truly attain them.
Anyway, I guess today I am just sharing my feelings of inadequacy, yet also my feelings of gratefulness. I am so grateful to have a Savior who redeems and restores - who protects and heals and satisfies. Thank you Jesus.
These pics have absolutely nothing to do with this really long post. Just some fun times we recently had together. A day we spent soaking up sun and fun - together.
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