The Attitude of Rest

Let's be truthful here ~ Being a mom is hard! "Train your children in the way they should go and they will not depart from it". I truly believe this, but the job of training them, even when shared with your husband, is quite challenging. With two boys entering middle school next year and two elementary school-age girls, lately our house has been full of "know-it-alls". This weekend God provided us with a clear snapshot of true training, after whipping us all into shape!

I am reading a book called, I am not, but I know I Am by Lou Giglio and last night's chapter was all about understanding the Sabbath rest. He explains that God didn't order the seventh day to be restful because God himself was weary from creating the universe and everything in it, but to be still and reflect on how great all that He had done was. Keeping the Sabbath holy is actually setting apart the day to take notice of what God has done in our lives during the week leading up to that day. To reflect on, to behold God's power ~ what He did with us, through us, even without us. Doing this will remind us of who God is. Actually practicing this with our families and friends on the Sabbath will honor God with true worship and remind us that God is sovereign, He's real and He works.

My husband and I practiced this tonight at Sunday Linner (lunch/dinner) and it was quite interesting to hear the kids reframe their sentences from "I am thankful that God let US do . . . or let US have . . ." to "I am thankful that God used US to. . . or showed us His power when He . . ." It's all about God, not at all about us or what we've done. Celebrating the Sabbath and keeping it holy is a training of our attitude that should last throughout the week, a shift in perspective. Being grateful for His hand on us and around us. I have heard it said that you can't have a grateful heart and a complaining tongue.

One of my children was having a ton of trouble with murmuring, complaining and backtalking this weekend. His attitude towards the Sabbath rest was a total mess. After trying to correct Him several times, I finally said, "God you've got to help me! I can't get through to him." And then the revelation hit me. "Train him up . . ." Following the list of consequences I reemed out at him, I reached out and held him until he stopped crying and we had a heart-to-heart. You see our sin areas are much the same, as our child argues with his parents, I have been known to fight for my thoughts to be heard as well. What triggers frustration in us is similar, too. God showed me that to truly worship Him on the Sabbath or any day, to truly rest in Him, we've got to have control over the battle in our minds~ between thoughts and feelings, lies and truth.

As part of our children's training, I realized it was important to teach my son this weekend just how to follow God's way of tearing down exalted thoughts that had been controlling his mood with us and towards God. I shared that just like a war has two sides, there are two kinds of thoughts battling one another: The truth planted by God and the lie planted by Satan backed by the persuasion of the world, and they both trigger an emotion. If the emotion we are feeling is provoking us to behave in the opposite manner of the fruits of the Spirit, (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control), then must take captive the thought encouraging such a response. For example, if we feel jealous that someone else was chosen to have a special treat or win the ____ (fill in the blank) we must take captive the thought, "It's not fair" or "they like her better than me". Just like a war prisoner, we must capture the root issue of the thought, measure it against the Word of God. If it doesn't produce good fruit and if it is against the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ then we must cast it out, tear it down. In order to do this right, we've got to battle the lie with truth. For if we simply cast out the lie, we've left an empty space. In our children, we've got to take the time to fill the empty space with something truthful and good or they'll find something else to fill it with, like someone else's opinion.

My son's attitude of resting in God's holiness was restored tonight, not because of the work that I had done but because of the revelation that God brought and the humility practiced by my son. Just one more example of God working in a typical family. Part of our massive job as moms is to correct and edify with Truth. If the hearts and minds of our children are storehouses of Truth, then they will walk with an attitude of rest, resting in the very truth that God works out all things in His sovereign plan through us, with us, and without us. We can rest in the fact that He will accomplish His goals and if we follow His command to train up our children, then we can look forward to watching Him use them as a small piece in His BIG Story. What a great reward!