"No thank you! I've got it," I said as the nice man asked if I needed help.
I had the hood of my car propped up to check my engine oil, as I do every week.
Something about a young girl with a car hood up screams that help is needed. It happens every single week, so I am the furthest from being surprised. It doesn't bother me either because I know that they are just trying to offer a hand to someone who may or may not know what they are doing. And if we're being honest; I wouldn't know how to check my oil had I not been taught. I remember whenever I was 16 years old and my dad took me outside to check the oil. I was honestly annoyed and just thought, "why do I need to know this if you're here. Can't you just check it?"
What I didn't know was that my dad was preparing me for a life as an independent young woman. He knew that someday, I would move off to college without having him to assist me in every little thing. He and my mom prepared me for life as an adult. They taught me how to write a check, how to schedule appointments, how to cook and clean, and so much more.
Not only did I learn through instruction, but I also learned through observation. In 2 Kings 18, we are introduced to a king named Hezekiah. Verse 5 says, "Hezekiah relied on the Lord God of Israel; not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before or after him."
He removed the high places and shattered every idol that the Israelites would worship. He rebelled against the King of Assyria and led his people to worship the One True God. He kept the commands of Moses and walked in the ways of King David. He was a faithful servant who trusted in the Lord's sovereignty. Though he was still an imperfect human, he set an example for future kings to follow. Whenever Hezekiah died, his son became king in his place.
Manasseh became king at a young age. Although his father set an example that he was sure to follow, Manasseh did what was evil in the Lord's sight. This makes me wonder how much of an influence Hezekiah had over Manasseh as his father. How much did he teach Manasseh how to follow the God of Israel? How many times did they sit at the dinner table and offer thanksgiving to the God of the universe? How many times did Hezekiah teach his son to serve the Lord? While we are not given this information in 2 Kings, we can assume that Manasseh may have not been taught how to prioritize the living God in his life.
I have had many conversations with parents about how difficult it can be to disciple their own children. Some parents don't even know where to start because their hope is in the church. While children ministries can be an extremely helpful resource to the relationship between your child and the Lord; the biggest influence in your child's life is you. The job of the church is to equip families to be able to have these tough conversations; not to take the place of the spiritual leader in your home.
For four years now, I have been studying the way that people learn. While the general information about educational psychology has led me towards getting my B.S. degree, it has also been helpful in preparing me for life as a mom. During my study of 2 Kings, I have come up with a few points that will essentially help me to become more like Jesus.
1. My behavior should reflect the commands that I find in the Word of God.
It is important that I am surrendering myself daily to the commands that have been written. I want to prioritize God's Word in my life so that I can trust the Holy Spirit to lead me however He pleases.
2. I want to put in as much effort as possible to become the woman God created me to be.
While I know that God knows every detail of my life, I want to press on and work towards the goal of advancing His kingdom. He knows what grade I am going to make on a test but that doesn't mean that He's taken away my ability to study. He knows that my body is capable of running a 5k, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't train.
3. I want to understand now that my future child ultimately belongs to the Lord and while I have a direct influence on them; the control is in the hands of who created them.
This one is a tough concept to grasp. I am not a mother, but I am a big sister and a friend. I know what it's like to want to make decisions for someone else. I know what it's like to feel a burden so heavy for someone that I'll do anything possible to help them succeed. I know that I am given the ability to pray and disciple whoever, but I also know that the decision nor the control is up to me.
My purpose in this post is to help introduce an understanding of the importance of living like Jesus for the sake of His kingdom, as well as those around us.
"Wicked behavior has a ripple effect, often sweeping others along in its path. If we aren't spiritually on our toes and prayerfully on our knees -- we might allow the immoral influence of others to lead us to make sinful choices, many of which we might never have made, or even thought of on our own." - Karen Ehman
"The truths of scripture must always trump the call of culture." - Karen Ehman
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