1. Behave 2. Obey 3. Be kind to each other 4. Say yes ma’am &no sir, 5. Make eye contact 6. Go to sports camps and VBS.
And those are all fine.
But I don’t want just a fine summer.
I am asking God for a Significant Summer. One of intention and purpose.
I want the Lord to move us deeply this summer. To rock my family.
Lord, will you rock my family? Bless us, change us, fill us and knit us together by the Power of your Spirit?
1 Corinthians 2:16 says that we have the mind of Christ.
I want His mind on my summer. His thoughts.
Oh, to die to my wishes and seek Him.
This takes time before Him. Time in prayer. Time reading His Word.
Will you set apart a little time to go before the Lord?. Blank page in hand. Ask Him to fill it.
“What are your goals for my children, Lord? Where do we need attention this summer? Spiritually? Physically? Relationally?"
I sat quietly before Him, blank page and Bible, and thought, “Jesus, what did you do in the summertime?”
If Jesus lived in East Tennessee in the year 2011, how would He have spent His time?
Scripture doesn’t give us too much information about the adolescent years of Christ, but it does tell us this…
Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52
That is what Jesus did. Every summer. Every day.
Grow.
I was so encouraged by this verse. Do you see our three goals?
Wisdom (spiritual), stature (physical) and favor with God and men (relational).
Jesus' main responsibility as a little boy was to simply “grow up.” Be a young boy, grow in understanding of Scripture, grow up in stature, and relationally grow in favor with God and the people around Him.
I bet it was tempting for Mary to say, “Jesus, come on now. You are God’s son. Virgin birth, remember? Quit acting your age and act like Deity. Step it up. “
No she let him grow up…age appropriately.
I hear myself so many times fussing at the boys. My biggest frustration? They are acting like a seven-year-old. Or a five-year-old. Or a two-year-old.
I fuss and feel like I am saying is…”Quit acting your age. Step it up. Mature quicker.”
No, Becky. Let them grow up...age appropriately.
Nurture them in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.
This alone would make for one Significant Summer.
What wise words, Becky!! To not "wish" them bigger, but to have godly goals for them in the here & now! :)
ReplyDeleteJessica
"I hear myself so many times fussing at the boys. My biggest frustration? They are acting like a seven-year-old. Or a five-year-old. Or a two-year-old."
ReplyDeleteSo well put. I think as stay at home moms {and Im only assuming you are?} and spending all of our time with our children, its so easy to have short fuses with our children and 'expect' them to act older than they really are. Its easy for me to forget that my boys are ONLY 10, and ONLY 6 and ONLY 4. Those are BABIES and I feel like maybe I expect them to be acting like they are in their teens! The world is moving so fast, and we are just trying to keep up with it.
I love the message in this post. Starting today, Im going to try to REALLY embrace and enjoy the ages that my children are at NOW! Thank you for this! Have a beautiful day!
Thank you for this message...I needed to hear it!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is good! I hope to nurture my kids in this way!
ReplyDelete