I keep hearing moms say they are scared to raise babies in this world. I get it. This world, as a Christian, is frightening. It seems like a million things are going wrong. From the breakdown of the family, to gender issues, to school indoctrination, and more, parents are confronted at every turn with the question, “how do I protect my kids?”
Around the election, I’ll admit I got caught in the vortex of fear. As I pressed into God’s Word, specifically Isaiah, I realized that the issues we are facing in the world today are nothing new. It boils down to living in a world filled with sin and with people who do not know Jesus. I could breakdown the parallels, but i want to encourage you to read it for yourselves. When I realized that God has placed His people in this position before, I started to look at the the why and how Israel responded.
I noticed two main things:
God’s people looked and acted and lived VERY different than the world around them.
There was revival in His people because they pressed closer to His word and truth.
So, feel how very different you are. You are, in fact, SET APART as a child of God. We are aliens in this world and thus, we should look and act like it. Do the counter-cultural thing. In fact, if you look like the world or find yourself agreeing with popular opinion, you may want to search God’s word for clarity. It won’t always be the case, but we should be consistently aware that a follower of God functions differently than most.
Here are some practical things that help me:
Be in the Word daily. Even if you don’t feel like you had a moment, become a STUDENT of the Bible.
Pray. Seriously, journal it out. Pray more than you talk about it.
Talk to your kids about sin, especially the sin in your heart and in theirs. Talk to them about our need for God’s mercy and grace.
Read the Bible with your kids, and ask them what they think. Conversations are great gateways.
Turn off the news and quit scrolling social media. Your mission field is at home BEFORE anywhere else.
Recognize the sin (the log) in your own life before making the world’s (speck) so very big.
photo credit: Claire Pierce Photography