Heavenly Mothers Seek Peace-Day 19

"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."

Psalm 34:14 KJV

In Christ we have peace with God, which means that our eternal state is secure, but sometimes our life still feels frantic. With several children in my family, the noise level alone can make it hard to feel peaceful. Music playing, dishes clanking together as they are loaded and boys making any number of strange noises with their mouths, or an elbow and an underarm, all contribute to a home that often feels anything but peaceful.

Sometimes as mothers we purchase false peace for ourselves by putting our children in front of a movie or video game. This might be fine on occasion but when it becomes a habit, several problems occur. 

The first problem is that when children never interact with adults, the adults don't have the opportunity to direct and teach the children. If you as a mom don't push through the boredom with your children and teach them how to be happy without media, then their development on many levels will be hindered, basic civility and a work ethic being just a couple affected areas.

Another big problem with over reliance on media is that our standards for what to watch decline the more we watch. What might have shocked us when we first turned on the TV soon becomes commonplace, and our children end up learning bad behavior that they will act on the next time the TV is off.

Sometimes though, we just reallly need a break; from managing children, from picking up toys, from the endless round of laundry.

This is when leaving home is a good idea. Sometimes it might be by yourself while the children are with a safe caregiver. However, leaving home for a few hours or a day with your children is a wonderful way to seek peace and build relationship, especially if you go somewhere outside. A playground, a lake or a nature center are all lovely places to unwind as a family. Children are rarely bored when they have some water to splash in or rocks to climb, and their joy, the fresh air and the chance to breath are God's gifts of peace to a tired and weary mother.

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Heavenly Homes are Honest

"…His truth endureth to all generations."

Although we have rarely had TV reception or cable in our twenty-four years of marriage, when my children were younger we watched a lot more movies. It was easy back then to put the children to bed and watch a movie that might not be quite appropriate for them. I am not talking about "adult" movies here, just movies that had adult themes or language. 

    

As our children grew, we found this didn't work so well. If a movie wasn't appropriate for my 12 year old to watch, it probably wasn't appropriate for me either. Wanting to be fair to them, it no longer worked to simply put them to bed, and yet we didn't want to pollute their young minds and spirits with language or behavior that they had not yet been exposed to. As our children grew, it became more and more important to not have a double standard about media and so we came to a point where we rarely watch movies at all, finding few movies worth spending the time on (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Mom's Night Out are two recent exceptions).

For our family, truth is very important. Both the truth of God being proclaimed in our home, and honest living between each member of the family. If I as the mother am teaching my children one code of honor and then living a different one, I am not a credible witness. If I tell my children not to have sex outside of marriage, but I put them to bed early so I can watch a romantic movie where that behavior is the norm, I am not really living what I am preaching. I may not be engaging in the behavior myself, but if I am entertained by it, then I am somewhat culpable. If I try to teach them to have decent table manners and then we as a family are entertained by a bunch of vulgarians, I am probably not being a credible witness to civility.

    

Children are very smart. If they hear us telling them to be honest and to trust God, but they see us living  contrary to what we are teaching, they will become hardened to our words. Parenting is the most amazing opportunity for personal growth because our children are so attentive to what message our lives display. I want the message of my life to be excitement about God, excitement about loving the people that He places in my life, and honesty in my relationships. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to sink truth into our spirit, the less attracted we will be to dishonest pleasures. and a peaceful home will be the result of our honest lives.

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Turn off the Television and Get a Life

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time…"

Ephesians 5:15-16

I read this article today which suggested that television viewing may be linked to poverty. While I take all studies with a grain of salt, the idea that by turning off the t.v. you might gain some life skills which would make you a more valuable employee or business owner, or even that perhaps the morality or lack of it displayed in television might make you a less productive citizen have merit. 

                                 

                                 
While we certainly slump wearily in front of a show now and then (hence our Frozen party), we are very careful to keep it to a minimum. The most useful way we do that is by not subscribing to any cable service, and staying busy doing things that are much more interesting than vicariously living some television character's sordid life.


                                     

The less the tv is on, the more likely your children, and you, will find other ways to entertain yourself. Growing a garden, raising chickens or reading a book are all productive pursuits to replace after school television temptation, and in the evenings, sitting around a good meal, reading the Bible together and practicing worship guitar, keep us busy and happy until it is time to say goodnight.

                                 

On the weekends when there might be temptation to turn on the tube, we are busy working in our yard, or taking a field trip to a beach or trout pond. Life is full of moments where we make seemingly small decisions that have huge consequences for the future. 

When we cut off the stream of inanity that often flows unfiltered into our homes, we are creating one more opportunity for us and our children to be transformers of culture, instead of merely partakers.