Obedience:

At our house, obedience is doing what you are told to do when you are told to do it.

We have a couple of songs that are “popular” in helping us to remember how to obey:

{If you cannot see the video below, please visit the blog to view it.}

Lately, my efforts in training my kids in how to obey have been extremely conscious in my mind. I’ve begun to go past the how to obey arguments in my own heart and I have begun to explore the why to obey arguments. As I’ve explored the why to obey arguments, I’ve realized that many times the “why” I want my kids to obey is because it somehow conveniences me when they obey {or inconveniences me when they disobey}.

While training my kids to be conscious and considerate of others {too many kids today – and adults, too – are so absorbed in their own desires that they often are a public nuisance without even knowing it} including myself isn’t wrong, my frustration when they fail to obey and it affects my comfort {i.e. being quieter in the car, playing in another area of the house, etc.} is often greater that when the failure to obey does not directly impact my comfort.

It’s when these moments of frustration occur that I need to start by first considering my own heart:

• Is the issue really their disobedience? Or am I getting upset because I have been inconvenienced?
• What is the proper reaction to their disobedience – do I need to discipline them or would a heart-to-heart discussionbe more effective?
• Why am I getting upset? Am I upset over the sin issue or over the issue of my discomfort?

God has definitely been showing me areas in my parenting where I have become more interested in my own comforts than in actually parenting my kids, teaching them how and why to obey. He, through the guiding of His Holy Spirit, has been opening my eyes to situations where I need to seek His heart before I am able to lead my kids to His heart.

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Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart:

I failed this week. I looked up my verses for this week late in the week, but I never wrote them out, and I didn’t make a plan to work on memorizing them. I am thankful for God’s grace {and yours} as I seek to start fresh this week.

If you’ve worked on hiding God’s truths in your heart this week, be sure to share your journey in the linky below!

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1000Gifts {#101-135}:

spell check

combos

gift cards

snow

unexpected thank you notes

financial resources beyond our imagination

safety

dry roads

great timing {i.e. got the last item before it was sold out – hubby’s birthday gift}

time with my husband

time away from my kids

cuddles with the kids

my own bed {after sleeping in a camp bunk bed for two nights}

opportunities to bless others

a new camera

relationships with added benefits {i.e. being related to a camera salesman}

an abundance of the Word of God in our language

the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to my heart

the opportunity to sit under the teaching of the Word

going “home” to Camp Barakel for the weekend

packing an extra blanket

multiple winter coats to choose from when some have none

a new book in the mail

grace when life doesn’t go as planned {see “Hiding God’s Truth” above}

a beautiful sunset

teachable moments {see “Obedience” above}

gorgeous blue skies

making new friends

in-laws who are willing to watch the kids for the weekend

overnight shipping – for free

hot coffee to start my day

the freedom to choose how our kids will be academically educated

the opportunity to catch up with old friends

coconut milk on my cereal

a {mostly} internet-free weekend

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Share your Hiding God’s Truths posts with us…

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