Ephesians 6:1-4 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

It's always funny to me, when people see parents with children who misbehave in public and automatically think, "I'm glad I don't have kids."

I don't think that way at all. In fact, it makes me want to have kids more, so I can raise them right. haha. What do I know? But really, even though no two families are going to have the same disciplinary methods or rules, or have the same emphasis on certain issues, it just seems that a lot of people take the easy way out in raising their children and excuse disobedience as just being "cute."

Is disobedience ever cute? It's true, kids don't know as much as us. That's why we're supposed to parent them, to teach them and bring them up so they learn what is right and wrong. The most important thing about raising kids is that they learn to follow God and that they pass that onto their children. The other things aren't really important in the grand scheme of things. And I think if you're focused on God, a lot of times, the other things fall into place anyway.

Okay, yes, I think you need to teach your children other things too. I believe they need to have good manners and they need to be educated and things, because those things will help them to be a better witness and to follow God more fully. But that's the obvious stuff.

Sometimes I want to laugh at kids when they do silly things though. Maybe they're not necessarily good things, but they don't understand yet. I find myself laughing at their ignorance. They don't know how unimportant those things really are, and they'll fight and cry for them until they do learn why they were put in "time-out."
Sort of like when we do silly things. I still fight and cry for things that later I look back and go, "what was I thinking? I had no idea." But usually I have some sort of idea. Of course God doesn't like it when we sin. It's disobedient, not cute. Us, cute? Come on. We're so disgusting when we sin. It gets us no where. But I just think of when we worry about things, plan out things - God already knows the outcome! We can be so silly sometimes, get so caught up in things.

Like with kids. Kids can worry about simple things like when something will happen - they have no concept of time yet - or worry about whether their brother or sister is playing with their toy or not - they don't know that it doesn't really matter. But as adults, or parents, we know. We know it's not that big of a deal if the one kid has to play with a different toy, but here they can learn patience and selflessness. We know that whether you say ten minutes or 5 hours will make no difference to a child because both seem like an eternity.

Aren't we kind of like that too?

God is outside of time and knows when things will happen, but whether something "good" or "bad" will take place in two days or two years, we don't know the difference. We don't know why until after, when we can look back and see how much we've grown because of it. Until we realize that the babysitter isn't coming at 10am because our mom is still around but at 5pm both parents are going out for dinner and we need someone with us then. We don't know why something happens, why something or someone is taken from us, why we have to "share that toy" or "wait our turn," we don't always see why it doesn't "really matter," but here God teaches us a lesson.

It's amazing how God has built life. I've been amazed enough looking at it on the cellular level, last year when I took biology, and as I've been reading other books, how intricately everything is planned out. Even at this bigger level, where all the cells are togther and we're living beings who can think for ourselves and make choices and have a personal relationship with God, it's just as intricate. One thing supports another, the better balance the better everything works together. So many things can be taken and pointed toward God. Life is about God, not us. Things in life help us make sense of who God really is, and we still only 'get' what He chooses to reveal to us.

I guess it's just amazing how intricate and complicated life is, because we can really grasp it, we can never create it from nothing, but at the same time, how little God really asks of us. It seems simple. We're so human. But that's how God created us. Enjoying the simple things in life may be a cliche, but that's what we're made to do, and to do it unto the Lord.

Just a thought. If I go any further I'll just get lost.

Today is beautiful, and I'm so glad for it. :)

-becca