I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just the everyday No's. Don't hit your brother and No, you cannot have 5 pieces of candy. I am weary of the No I am continually saying to our culture. The world is bound and determined to take away my children's innocence. They want my children to grow up way too fast. They want my little girl to dress like an adult. They want my little boy to know things he is way too young to know. I'm weary of saying you can't go to that movie, because it is not appropriate for your age. No, you can't wear what everyone else is wearing, because it is not appropriate. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was when my son walked in while I was watching the news. He asked me, "Mommy is it true that men can marry men and women can marry women?" "Mom, if two women marry can they have a baby?" My son is 6. I don't want to be discussing sexuality with him much less homosexuality. So, I told him that no men can't marry men and women can't marry women (for now anyway) and that women with women cannot have a baby. (Don't get me started on explaining how they can). I should not be having these discussions with my children, but I'm being forced too. What happened to childhood innocence?
As I was thinking about my weariness I remembered the song and verse in the Bible about Standing in the Gap. I also realized that God cares more for my children than I do. He is there to guide me and support my weariness. He knows there is sin in the world. God wants me to rest in him and seek his guidance in these difficult times. He wants me to say No and set moral limits based on Biblical standards that differ widely from the world. He expects me to raise children who respect God and obey his commands.
The problem with being weary is it is so easy to give in. I have been there and I would guess you have to. Oh, okay you can see that movie or maybe you can wear that shirt. You know "Everybody else does." Please hear me clearly there is a big difference between raising naive children and innocent children. I just want my children to grow up in a reasonable time frame. I want them to know what is appropriate for their age.
So, fellow Mom I ask that we stand together. That we stand in the gap for our children. That we constantly seek God's guidance and protection for our children. We can grow weary, but we can't give up. Our children need us to show them the way. They need to see living up to God's standards is very different than the world's.
? 2004 Kimberly Chastain
About the Author
Kimberly M. Chastain, MS, LMFT is the Christian Working Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in helping Christian women make the most of their lives. She is the author of the on-line course, "I Can't Say No" and Pearls of Encouragement for Christian Working Moms, a free e-book. If you suffer from "I Can't Say 'No" Syndrome, visit Kimberly's site today for the details on an exciting email course that's sure to set you free! http://www.christianworkingmom.com/online.htm.
The Text Information Box above MUST be included for reprint privileges. You may reprint this article in it's entirety with the attached text box.
AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex... Read More
Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our... Read More
2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More
Do you know where your current path is taking you?Education,... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Do you spend your time working towards that "one day... Read More
It is within us to... Read More
This question, "what is grace" plagued me more into knowing... Read More
Universal Law is an invisible influence in every individual's life,... Read More
What we think is what we are. Our lives are... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
Water of Enlightenment, Angel of Peace and Harmony for Nature... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
Humanity is entering a very critical time in its path... Read More
The Bible tells us that we must be led by... Read More
You will become as great as your dominant aspiration...If you... Read More
The words 'new age' and 'spirituality' can have people running... Read More
One important factor in how we go through life is... Read More
Although your creative ability and talent is something that God... Read More
Kundalini Awakening - the sure shot method for awakening of... Read More
It was in the middle of the night and the... Read More
In Feng Shui, water symbolizes wealth. The word "fish" in... Read More
An interesting question arose within a poetry workshop I attended... Read More
No, I have never seen a fairy, an angel, nor... Read More
You have everything you need: a miraculous body, a phenomenal... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
In Corrogue I feel wonderful.As friends know I love singing.... Read More
Prayer. It's the foundation of a Christian mom's life. Why?... Read More
In this series I would like to take you through... Read More
After more than three decades of church ministry, I have... Read More
This article is a reply that deals with certain criticisms... Read More
There was a time in my life when I seriously... Read More
My lady Lydia was a Hawkins of the ancestry of... Read More
Now, I will recount in full what happened to me... Read More
I have sent out hundreds of press releases for my... Read More
In God's world, everything can be used as an anology... Read More
As communion was being passed this morning, I listened to... Read More
When the body of Christ isn't protected we become vulnerable... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our... Read More
The Many Waters explores the universe and sifts through the... Read More
Part Two ContinuedIn addition to numerous philosophical problems relating to... Read More
I have been reading a lot lately about the concepts... Read More
We are apart of all that is, our consciousness spring... Read More
To a shaman a kachina isn't really a doll or... Read More
Did you ever get a feeling or gain notion of... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,... Read More
There is no shortage in the abundance of blessings we... Read More
We all need space, we all need time to ourselves.In... Read More
Spirituality |