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27
Oct
How to Teach Your Children to Discern Good from Evil–Part 2

Oscar Wilde once said, “Hear no evil, speak no evil—and you’ll never be invited to a party.” Unfortunately, he was probably right. Discerning the difference between good and evil is a lost art in the 21st century.

Have you ever noticed that if a person is exposed to something immoral or wrong over a period of time, he will begin to accept it even though at first he may have disliked it? For example, look at the television programs that are watched and enjoyed by millions. Forty years ago these shows would have brought disgust to most of the public. The same is true of fashion and literature.

Technology blesses our lives in so many ways, but also opens whole new arenas for evil to invade our homes. Pornography is now viewed as normal by much of our culture—proving the point that society accepts as normal what was once abnormal.

Teach like Joseph and Mary

The Scriptures foretold the way Jesus would be raised in Isaiah 7:15: “Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” We are to teach our children in the same way Joseph and Mary taught Jesus. For our kids to know the difference between good and evil, they must be fed a lot of good—butter and honey, if you will. Here are some tips for serving up butter and honey to your kids and grandkids.

Teach with butter and honey:

  • Use respectful words and a calm tone of voice when speaking with your child.
  • Laugh a lot—not at someone, but with your child.
  • Validate your child’s emotions and help him learn how to express those emotions appropriately.
  • Admit when you are wrong and apologize to your child. Let him observe you apologizing to others.
  • Watch things on TV and view internet sites as if Jesus was sitting next to you. Model for your child what is appropriate TV viewing.
  • Compliment your child when he or she displays a heart full of the fruit of the Spirit.
  • Use the same good manners with your child that you want him to practice.

 

What tips for butter and honey can you share with us? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comment section below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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27
Aug
Honoring the Life God Has Given You

Recently I visited my cousin Polly and stepped into the spacious bathroom that once belonged to Grandma Chris. Close by was Grandpa Ivan’s bathroom—connected by a little room where the toilet reigned. The scent of lavender was gone, but since Polly lives in this old adobe ranch house, she has maintained the rustic, yet rich, feel of the 50 year old place.

Grandma’s bathroom caught my attention because it instantly brought back memories of how Grandma honored herself and the life she had been given. This bathroom was totally hers. One of my favorite memories is taking a bubble bath with lavender soap and scrubbing my nails with her little nail brush. I haven’t seen one of those nail brushes in years, but there was always one at Grandma’s, and you always scrubbed your nails while taking a lavender bubble bath. 

I’ve thought a lot about honor after having celebrated 35 years of ministry in the same church and honoring the lives of my parents as each transitioned from earth to Home. We tend to honor other people with appropriate cards and gifts at certain times of the year and especially at their death. But how often do we take the time to honor ourselves and the life God has given us?

I’m not talking about excuses for self indulgence or vanities, but simple, honest ways of honoring the special gifts that God has placed within the life we each live and the person we have become. When we honor something about ourselves, we are saying, “This is good about me and my life. I’m going to take care of it, treasure it, and enjoy it. Thank you, Lord, for creating me.”

I honor who I am by getting my hair cut and colored. I’ve always been a red head and have decided that I will follow my mother’s lead and get my hair done on a regular basis. My mother never missed her weekly appointment with the hair dresser until the week she died. She was the softest, sweetest, little old silver haired woman I’ve ever known.

So, being thankful for the head of hair I have, I keep a regular monthly appointment with my awesome hair stylist, Kris. In this way, I honor the God who gave me something special—my hair. (And yes, I do know that someday I will have to switch to gray, but that time has not yet come.)

My husband, Tom, heads to the gym three times a week. Sometimes he swims. Often he endures the treadmill and weights. This ritual is one of his ways to honor the life God has given him.

How do you honor who you are and the life God has given you? What is there about your life that says, “This is good about me. I’m going to take care of it, treasure it, and enjoy it”? What will your grandchildren remember about the way you honored the person God created you to be and the life you lived as a result?

Your thoughts, answers, comments and lavender soap are encouraged. Leave the former in the comment section below and save the lavender soap for my next birthday. 

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Daily, Personal growth, Spirit Rituals  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,