Food for thought:

“By education is a discipline, we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body. Physiologists tell us of the adaptation of brain structures to habitual lines of thought, i.e., to our habits.”~ Charlotte Mason

What do you do if you’re hungry? Do you just wait for some food to come to you? Do you hope that maybe something tasty will drop into your lap? If you’re like most people, probably not. You’d likely get up and seek out something. But it’s doubtful that you’ll walk into the kitchen and find a complete meal on the counter, ready to eat. You may have to forage around, looking in the cupboards, the refrigerator, or the freezer, as you locate the ingredients for a decent lunch.

What if you’re missing a crucial component of your meal? I can’t imagine that you’d just expect that food to show up at your front door. You might even make a quick trip to the store to pick up whatever you need.

So now what do you do, once everything is together? Wave a magic wand over the items? Stare at them, waiting for them to spontaneously transform into a delicious dish? Hardly. You’d probably start pulling out the appropriate tools – pans, bowls, utensils, and maybe a recipe – and prepare your meal.

What about your spiritual hunger? Do you just wait for God to drop something good into your life? Do you pull out a devotional and read a couple of paragraphs, expecting to be fulfilled? Do you have a regular schedule for feeding your spirit? Or do you just pop in for a few moments with the Lord, akin to grabbing a cereal bar, as you head out on your way?

If we are going to feed our souls in a way that satisfies, equips, and matures us, we have to put forth effort. We have to pull out the tool (His word) He’s given us.  We have to give of our time. There is no substitute when it comes to our relationship with God. We can’t know His direction in our lives if we don’t know Him. We can’t know Him unless we spend time with Him and in His word – both quantity and quality matter.

Regardless of how busy your life is, you need the nourishment of time spent before the Lord – in His word and in prayer. If you’re not spending regular time with Him, block out some time each day. Whether it’s the same time every day, or it varies based upon your schedule, make your time with Him a priority. Only then will you be filled and satisfied spiritually.

Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What does the “sin which so easily ensnares us” look like to you personally? Is it sitting there on the side of the road in the race of life, looking stinky, smelly, and disgusting? I mean sin really is gross. When I think about how completely revolting sin is in our lives as believers, I picture something from a very disgusting dump with flies buzzing all around it. It most certainly smells and looks terrible.

Yet, if sin appeared as detestable as it truly is, we’d all be able to avoid it completely. But sin ensnares us. That means it captures or entangles us as we’re caught unaware. And it happens easily. It must look a lot better than the aforementioned pile of filth. In fact, it must appear quite enticing.

I believe we need to ask God’s help to give us SUPER-vision, x-ray eyes, if you will, to see through the outer trappings of this ensnaring sin. As we run this race called life, we need the ability to see these obstacles for what they really are. While they may be quite lovely in appearance, as they draw us away from our focus (Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith), they’re deadly as a boa constrictor that wraps around us and squeezes out the life. But if we will diligently seek after the Lord in His word and in prayer, He will provide us with the SUPER-vision needed to see beyond the façade and discern the truth.

Sin is ugly. It’s abhorrent. Our enemy is well aware of this. That’s precisely why he adorns it in a way that would attract and allure us. But Jesus has already defeated Satan. We do not have to live in bondage to his tricks and deception. We need to move beyond the place of feeling that we’ll be trapped in this for the rest of our lives, deeming our flesh weak, and falling into hopelessness.

Yes, God left a thorn in the flesh with the Apostle Paul, though he prayed fervently for it to be removed. But nowhere in Scripture does the Lord say that we have to live with habitual sin. Nowhere does he say that we have to remain in bondage to it. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sin and yours. Throughout the New Testament, we are offered hope and freedom!

Romans 6:18 “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Romans 6:22 “But now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

Food for thought:

“When we say that education is an atmosphere, we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a ‘child-environment’ especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child’s level.” ~ Charlotte Mason

Do you “shelter” your children?

That’s a bad word in some circles, we’re finding. Something is creeping into the church (and even the homeschooling community) and it isn’t biblical. It is an “anti-sheltering campaign” of sorts, and it’s full of holes. Think about it. What does it mean to shelter? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield. Safeguard. Hmmmm, so far so good, right? Sure, until “pop psychology” comes in and tells us that we should allow our children to taste a little of the world in order to understand it or pray for it. That we should not “over-shelter” them. Nonsense.

What’s the opposite of shelter? Expose. Endanger. We parents are called to be like our Father in Heaven. He is the greatest “Shelterer” there ever was, and it is us He shelters – or watches over; protecting us, preserving us, shielding us. Praise Him for this! Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly. May we as parents follow this model – His model. Let’s continue to shelter (love) our children as He loves us. Dismiss the garbage that crawls in; don’t buy it. We’re promised there will be false teachers, liars in the church. I want to keep my eyes focused on Christ, come what may.

Parents: Keep sheltering them. You are bringing them up in the love and admonition of the Lord, not in the latest speaker/teacher. May you be blessed as you continue to walk in obedience! Lord, thank you for sheltering me. Please never stop. “Over-shelter” if You will (if there is such a thing). Fine with me! Over-protect, Over-defend, Over-guard me; please do! I’ll take it all, Lord. Keep me tight to Your side. I’m safe there. There, I can breathe. It’s where I live.

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
-Psalm 61:3

Gena Suarez
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What does the “sin which so easily ensnares us” look like to you personally? Is it sitting there on the side of the road in the race of life, looking stinky, smelly, and repulsive? I mean sin really is gross. When I think about how completely revolting sin is to our holy God and ought to be in our lives as believers, I picture something from a very disgusting dump with flies buzzing all around it. It most certainly smells and looks terrible.

But if sin appeared as detestable as it truly is, we’d all be able to avoid it completely. Yet sin ensnares us. It captures or entangles us as we’re caught unaware. And it happens easily. It must look a lot better than the aforementioned pile of filth. In fact, it must appear quite enticing.

I believe we need to ask God’s help to give us SUPER-vision, x-ray eyes, if you will, to see through the outer trappings of this ensnaring sin. As we run this race called life, we need the ability to see these obstacles for what they really are. While they may be quite lovely in appearance, as they draw us away from our focus (Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith), they’re deadly as a boa constrictor that wraps around us and squeezes the life out. But if we will diligently seek after the Lord in His word and in prayer, He will provide us with the SUPER-vision needed to see beyond the façade and discern the truth.

Sin is ugly. It’s abhorrent. Our enemy is well aware of this. That’s precisely why he adorns it in a way that would attract and allure us. But Jesus has already defeated Satan. We do not have to live in bondage to his tricks and deception. We need to move beyond the place of feeling that we’ll be trapped in this for the rest of our lives, deeming our flesh weak, and falling into hopelessness.

Yes, God left a thorn in the flesh with the Apostle Paul, though he prayed fervently for it to be removed. But nowhere in Scripture does the Lord say that we have to live with habitual sin. Nowhere does he say that we have to remain in bondage to it. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin. Throughout the New Testament, we are offered hope and freedom!

Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…”

Romans 6:18 “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Romans 6:22 “But now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

May you walk in freedom today!

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

Food for thought:

Thank You, God

For dear, gentle children -

Children with merry eyes

And trusting smiles

And giggles that never stop.

Remind us often that Parenthood

Is more than an endless task -

It is a sacred trust from You!

~ Ruth Harms Calkin