Perfection

Something Bro. Doug said yesterday during our discussion time at church really hit a lot of people. I see it all the time, and have felt myself times before...though 'twas usually me thinking something and it not turning out to be that bad. lol

Homeschool parents often put out a message to their children that they need to be perfect. They need to be perfect spiritually, mentally, and physically....otherwise they don't deserve to be loved, and their parents won't be proud of them. If they fail a test, they get a lecture. If they tell what's on their mind, or something that's bothering them, they may get lectured again. Kids are literally scared to talk to their parents nowadays because of this. If they're confused about a situation, having a hard time understanding something, not sure what to do about a problem they're facing...they simply hold it in. They're so terrified they'll get yelled at, griped at, lectured....they simply don't talk to their parents. Most parents don't do this on purpose, I'm sure most don't even realize this is why their relationship with their children has fallen. This puts SO much of a burden on kids...and they cannot handle such a large burden. It's impossible for them to be perfect; parents, you know this. Do you remember that God does not ask YOU to be perfect? That he blesses you, IN SPITE of yourself? I'm not perfect, YOU'RE not perfect, YOUR parents were not perfect. Why on earth would you have your child believe they need to be perfect to get your respect, love, or for you to be proud of them? It's damaging what they think of themselves, they aren't enjoying life because they constantly feel they must WORK for your love. Is that what you want your child to feel? You wonder why your children talk to their friends about things they don't talk to you about. Have you ever thought, maybe, it's because their friends just listen, and don't gripe? Your kids NEED you to listen. But they often feel as if anything they tell you will end in a total mess, you being mad at them, disappointed in them, or you not understanding at all what they're going through.

You may tell your children you don't expect perfection from them. But do you practice what you preach? You can be encouraging to them about bettering themselves WITHOUT being harsh or expecting too much. Every child simply wants love and to make their parents proud. They work SO hard at it, then get lectured for every little thing they did wrong, and anything that was well done gets ignored or pushed aside.

It doesn't end there. It's gets even worse. We see so many older Christian women or men unmarried. Lots of adults think it's because people don't have the desire to be married anymore. Not so. The parents have drilled SO much of a "perfection" image in their kids heads, that NOBODY is good enough for them. The parents want that "perfect" spouse, and ya know what? They AREN'T OUT THERE. You, parents, neither of you are perfect, yet you expect a perfect person for your child? How is that right? How is that part of God's plan? Imperfections in one spouse are often balanced by a strength in the other. Nobody's perfect....stop looking for someone who's not there.

You MUST remember, constantly, that your children need love. They need to hear a "good job" every now and then. They need to hear you tell them "I'm proud of you." For parents, I think telling their child that, is HARDER than a siblings telling their brother/sister "I'm sorry." It's gotten way out of control, and it needs to be fixed before it gets unbearable.

"How can we trust that which is unseen? Simple. Look for the proof. The shadow proves the sunshine. The echo proves the sound. The steam proves the heat. The watermark proves the flood. The rustling of leaves proves the wind. We struggle to believe what we cannot see, because we are not really looking. The creation proves the Creator. The heavens prove His glory. The Son proves the father. The cross proves His love."

INTERMEDIA.com

God, You are all I have. You are faithful and true. Thank You God.
You are the maker. You made the heavens, the trees, the flowers, and the birds. You made me my family and friends, You made everyone important to me. Thank You God.
You are my provider. You give me freedom and peace. You give me a hiding place. You give me a rock to stand on. You give me life. Thank You God.
You are my deliverer. You are my strength when I am weak. My refuge when I am afraid. You are my joy when I am sad. You are my hope when all is lost. My light amidst the darkness. Thank You God.

I worship You my God. I raise my hands to You my King. I shout to you my Lord. I cry to You my Savior. I praise You my Creator. I sing to You Almighty. Because of who You are, I give thanks.

Scripture is clear that the lives of believers should be characterized by joy, contentment, and gratitude. Though we do encounter difficult trials and situations consistently, we must be disciplined to thank God and know that He will sustain us.

IGNITERMEDIA.com

God, You are all I have. You are faithful and true. Thank You God.
You are the maker. You made the heavens, the trees, the flowers, and the birds. You made me my family and friends, You made everyone important to me. Thank You God.
You are my provider. You give me freedom and peace. You give me a hiding place. You give me a rock to stand on. You give me life. Thank You God.
You are my deliverer. You are my strength when I am weak. My refuge when I am afraid. You are my joy when I am sad. You are my hope when all is lost. My light amidst the darkness. Thank You God.

I worship You my God. I raise my hands to You my King. I shout to you my Lord. I cry to You my Savior. I praise You my Creator. I sing to You Almighty. Because of who You are, I give thanks.

IGNITERMEDIA.com

"You want to help defend a caged lion. To help defend it, all you have to do is open the cage and let it out, the lion will defend itself. So the same is the gospel of God. Let it out to the world, and it will surely defend itself."

Is it your time?

There are a lot of things in life that we all have issues with. I have lots, so I know. But I often think people's pride gets in the way of admitting they're wrong....in any problem, whether you think you're any part of it or not, always remembering you're always at least 10% of the problem. It is never 100% one person's problem.

I see fights, arguments, and people just blowing up at others... family, friends, co-workers... all the time. Why? So many times it's just the smallest thing, and it would have all been worked out, if only we'd have had a small amount of patience with that person. Are we so impatient, and angry with and at everyone, that we don't even TRY to be kind? We tell other people when witnessing, when you're raising your children, we TELL THEM, to be Christ like. Tell me this, did Christ EVER lose His patience with people, was He EVER unkind, selfish...?

If we're to be Christ like, then why do we do all these UN Christ like things? Why do we have the shortest tempers in history. Is it because people have just quit trying? It really seems to be. And it's sad. Everyone thinks they're 100% right. THEY deserve the ______ now, because you've had it long enough. THEY want to choose the movie/meal/activity. Since when has God EVER, EVER been pleased by that? I think people have become calloused to the fact that God watches their every move. Is right beside them in fights, blow ups, unkindness, lack of patience, frustration.

When are we going to ACT like we know Christ is with us 24/7/365? We say we believe it, but we don't SHOW it. Acting different at church and at home, is the same as acting one way when you're talking with God, reading His word, etc...and just going to play a game with your family.

When are we going to make the decision to make the right choices? They are there for the taking...we just have to take that humble step to get to them.

I've been playing with pictures, and putting quotes with them a lot lately.

How do you plan your life?

Life is like many things. People use all sorts of stories to compare life to, when, in reality, NOTHING is like life. It's a very special, unique gift.

I think we often take things we are ABLE to do in life for granted. Such as writing. Driving. Having spare time. Spending time with ______.
I thought about this the other day when I got an email from my cousin. He has pretty bad arthritis, yet, he still found time and strength to write me. It made me feel awful when I thought about days I COULD have written him, but didn't. We procrastinate SO much, that sooner or later, it's too late to do that task. Because I CAN write, I say I'll do it tomorrow. Because we CAN drive, we say we'll go see family or friends sometime. Because we DO have extra time, we say we'll do something with people we don't get to see or fellowship with very often. We put things off for so long, that eventually they get forgotten, or aren't worth doing anymore. Things that are SO very important get put off so long, their value is lost.

Not just with activities and tasks. What about people....ourselves? We put off working on a self problem for SO long, we end up losing our worth to ourselves. We don't take care of ourselves, and each other, and sooner or later nothing that is important matters to us anymore. What's the most popular excuse? "I don't have time." We hear this EVERY SINGLE DAY. What if Jesus "hadn't had time" for us? What if He just got tired of trying...where would we be today? Does everyone ignore this ongoing process of terribly important things being ignored? I don't think anyone WANTS to see it, then when it's too late, they become forced to see how they've missed out and messed up so many things.

Simply being with friends. Going to see family. Writing a letter. Playing a game with your child or sibling. Going out to eat with your parents. I believe the excuse "I'm sorry, I just don't have time. I have things to get done" has become our hideaway. Half the time people say this to someone, they don't really have something that important to do. Take a nap. Ok, like we all need naps constantly. We say "well, I haven't spent much time with ____ and need to have some alone time." This has been how long? You haven't made time for them BEFORE now, and most likely everyone will get home, and every one will go to a different room or such.

Time. Where is yours going? What are you putting at the top of your priority list? It is REALLY important, or is it something you use to hide behind. Life won't go on forever. And, once you're gone from this earth, you're gone. You can't come back and spend more time with someone you "were going to get around to hanging out with." Life is specious. People are precious. You won't have this opportunity all your life. Things change, so take the chances you have now, and run with them! Make time for people, friends, family. There are people out there that CAN'T go out to visit, and if they had YOUR ability to do so, they would jump on it faster than you can imagine!