A quote by Geoff Botkin keeps resonating….”A soldier is too busy fighting to have hobbies.”
Now before you leave my blog 😉 I think you’ll find that’s not such an extreme statement. As I bring up children (arrows), I must not forget that the spiritual war wages all the time. How am I helping equip them to fight? What activities am I encouraging them to be involved in that are ultimately bringing victory to the Kingdom?
Does mindless amusement add to their armour?
Mr. Botkin clarified that there are many things our children should enjoy and participate in. But shouldn’t we stand in stark contrast to the self-centered, couch-lying, game-playing, “my-world-is-all-that-matters” culture around us?
It challenged me to take inventory of our “past time”, and all our activities. Are we investing our time into things that will ultimately serve others, bring glory to God, assist the family’s economy or other such “Kingdom-building” end?
I want my children to be busy with their hands, not just to be busy, but to be always “others minded”. If it’s music, let them practice to be excellent, in order to reflect the image of God.
If it’s crafts, let them always be learning and striving to create in order to show forth good stewardship, making something of nothing, thereby demonstrating another attribute of God, and thinking of how those skills could be a blessing to someone.
But let me always be teaching them to “Redeem the time”.
Of course I let my children play with Legos….don’t get me wrong. (I’m hoping my son will grow up to be a designer of some kind!) But if we generally understand that we are raising “Kingdom workers” (I don’t mean to overuse that term, it’s just so good!) and show them, each day, how their activities, gifts, and bents can be meaningful, our “good works will so shine before men” that the world will glorify our Father.
10 comments
Yep… I read the same article. It was so good! Very encouraging and inspiring and convicting. We still have much work to do, but God is gracious to help us along this path through the encouragement of others. Thanks for sharing!
Great post. If only more people understood this.
Thanks for a great post. My husband and I often talk about how children can be over-exposed to media/entertainment and that can lead to laziness – aka couch potatoes.
We didn’t have this problem 100years ago. Familes grew and picked their own food, canned, sewed, baked, boys hunted, families swam in creeks, etc.
We could learn a lot from the old ways. 🙂
I totally agree!
Yeah, me too. Lmao
Awsome blog! My kids I encourage them to do sports and do it for God’s Glory and most of all have fun! I have basic cable so we don’t watch alot of TV. My teenage daughter has spent the weekends serving the homeless! Love what your blog stands for!
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for about 2 months or so. I was directed here by a friend when I told her I had been having thoughts about Christians and birth control. At the time I was about 4 weeks pregnant with our second child (our first is 19 months). The Lord has really been working in my heart and showing me that Christians have been hoodwinked by the world. Some of us have the same mentality about children as the world does (they are a bother, it’s too much work, they cut into my time, etc, etc.) By God’s grace, my thoughts haven’t been that extreme, but I did think that my kids should have lots of space in between them so that it would make my life easier. Through listening to God through His Word, a sermon by Voddie Baucham, talking with my husband and friends, prayer, an article by Randy Alcorn, reading different blogs, etc, etc, my view has really changed. I now see that Christians are the ones that need to have children in order to raise them for God’s glory that they might be sent out to impact the world for Him. What a great task we have. God has a mysterious way of working in that I was concerned about the number of children we could have because my first child was born by c-section. Anyway, we had an ultrasound last week and found out we are having twins! Praise the Lord! I really see God at work. Now as I tell people our great news, I also get to share with them about what the Lord has been doing in my heart. So, thank you for your posts…they really spurred me on to the Lord.
Shaunta,
That’s the greatest story I’ve heard in a while!!!!
Praise the Lord, and thanks so much for sharing. You may have already, but I think you would enjoy browsing some of the archives here about birth control, children and large families.
This is an area I think about often. I learned that in the Hebrew family, this is exactly how they thought. Nothing they did was seperate from bringing glory and honor to the Lord. Even learning was considered a form of worship!
I love your picture slideshow!
Great post.