We take captive the rebel mind
Let the fire refine, if we compromise
We jeopardize
Daughters and sons, who they become
Show them the hill that we die on
The fight for the soul, is here and now
While every heart beats like a war drum pounds
"Trenches" by Jeff Lehman
Behold the Beloved
Hope Will Arise
https://beholdthebelovedmusic.com/
Rebel Mind
We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God,
and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ....
- 2 Corinthians 10:5
They chant in the streets, wave the flags of racist organizations, and assault people of a different ethnicity. Reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan marches of the South in 1866 and the Nazi rallies in America in the 1930s, this new wave of hate dirties our cities as society devolves into chaos. Many of these rebels were groomed in the arena of public thought and education while ill-conceived government policies assaulted the family on every front.
Incensed parents have called out errant school boards, principals, and teachers who violated their sacred trust. Many have taken their children out of public school to be tutored privately or homeschooled.
It's one thing to rail against a broken public education system, though. It's an entirely different challenge to take on the molding of a new generation ourselves. As the public education sector has flamboyantly demonstrated, children do learn what they live...and live what they learn. Home education is an awesome tool for both literacy and character development.
Then the question remains. What will they learn?
Set the books down for a moment.
One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And one who rules his spirit, than one who captures a city.
- Proverbs 16:32
Kids are sponges. Almost from the womb they are absorbing their environment. Soon they are mimicking a parent's every move. In the teen years, their individuality asserts itself and they see their parents in a different light. They often become hypercritical of every move a poor parent makes and use our real or imagined flaws to justify their newfound desire to rebel. But they're still watching.
Since we are all flawed, parents have no chance to get everything right. You can't be the perfect parent. The key here is consistency and choosing your battles. How do you know what battles are the important ones?
In any war, you can tell the importance of the ground you are on by the amount of resistance you encounter from the enemy.
Who's your enemy? Not your children, of course. Your enemy is Satan. He really hates relationships and will do everything possible to destroy your relationship with your family. Your dedication to your family is a declaration of war on hell. The devil will fiercely resist you. Expect a lot of bewildering distractions and messy days as God reveals your own weaknesses and the holes in your parenting skills. Expect it, and learn from it. Navigate the stormy waters with humility. Let your children see you work through issues and choose the path of integrity, even if it means a loss for you. They don't need to know every detail of everything happening around you. They just need to see authenticity and tenderness.
What do you want to give your children for eternity? Is it just teaching them to read and write? Is it just creating a safe place for them to grow up? Or is there more?
Choose your hill.
Since your children are watching your every move, give them what counts. Conquer your own rebel mind. Choose righteousness; listen to God; press into your faith. Decide what hill you will die on. Let your family see you making the hard choices. If you cave to pressures to compromise at home or at work, they will only learn there is nothing worth fighting for.
You can't create perfect children or give them a perfect life. You can, with God's help, show them how to live; how to bask in the sunshine, dance in the rain, and reach toward heaven through it all.
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