Our Attitude Towards our Parents

 Our Attitude Towards our Parents

By Kaitlyn F.

If you have parents, or a guardian who is raising you, then you know that you butt heads with them on numerous accounts on a wide variety of topics. And no matter what the argument is, they seem to always throw up the "you'll understand when you are older," or the "it's for your own good," card to your face. As someone who has had conflicts with my parents, I understand how frustrating it is to have that said to you. If you have grown up a Christian, then you might know might know that one of the Ten Commandments is to honor your mother and father. But I read that direct verses again from when the Ten Commandments were being written, and there was more to that. The entire verses from Exodus go, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." The whole reason for us to honor our mother and father is so that we may be prosperous as we grow older. They are protecting you, and they want you to be successful when you are grown up.  The line "you'll understand when you are older" may actually have meat behind it. Many of us are still living with our parents, and we haven't experienced what it is like to own our place, to have a job and to raise a family. When you are older you will eventually understand the position that they are in, and the decisions that they made. The line "it's for your own good" is them stating that they are trying to protect you, so that you may live long and be successful when you are on you own. So what if every time that we face our parents we had an attitude of gratitude, for they are trying to protect and they have your best interest at heart. What if we went in with an attitude of knowing that we don't need to know all the answers now, but that we will soon understand?  I bet that there will be a shift in our relationships with our parents if we change our attitudes.

Spending Time with Him by Elizabeth A.

Spending Time with Him 

By Elizabeth A.

  One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to set a time each day that I spent with Jesus. I realized that I wasn't spending enough time with God. I wasn't listening to what He had to say, I was letting my feelings take control, rather than holding on to what His word said, and I noticed that often I had a negative attitude about lots of things.  

 Sometimes it got to the point of desperation, and I would turn to God in tears, asking Him to forgive me for my unfaithfulness. Then I would begin to pray and read my Bible again, and it always gave me a new joy and refreshment. But it wasn't enough; after a time I began to drift away again, and soon I developed a sort of cycle; going around and around, feeling His love and then crying afterwards.  

 But God does not want us for fair-weather friends; He wants us to love and spend time with Him as we would with our best friend. He also does not want us to have to be on the brink before we find refuge, 

 "Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders." - Deuteronomy 33:12 

 God desires for us to rest in Him; to be safe and secure always, not only when we feel broken. I made the decision that this year I would make talking to Him a regular part of my morning, and now I can live every day influenced by His words.  

 Remember, God is always there. He will always be there to show you His love, and to lift you up when you have fallen. Have fun spending your day with Him! 

Armor of God by Samantha W.

Armor of God Pt. 1 of 2

Samantha W.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11 NIV

We as Christians are in spiritual warfare, that’s why it is important for us to be fully equipped soldiers in God’s army. The armor of God isn’t anything physical. Nevertheless, Paul brings forth clear examples of what we need using examples everyone can relate with.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . .

Belts are designed to support. So it is with truth. No matter what we do or believe, truth must be the supporting factor. If truth's not founded at the center of our lives, we are just chasing after illusions.

. . .with the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Ephesians 6:14 NIV)

Righteousness means right standing with God. This isn’t something we earn, but when our hearts are pure, God credits us with righteousness through Jesus Christ. A physical breastplate helps to protect our hearts. Paul makes this comparison to warn Christians to protect their hearts from wrong motives.

And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15 NIV)

Could you imagine running on a rough path with no shoes? It would be equally hard to do what God calls for us without the assurance and peace that we are safe in His care. The minute we have no peace, we need to stop and pray for it, for it equips us with a readiness to stand firm in our faith.

Next month, I’ll bring up the last three pieces of armor mentioned. See you then!

Little One, by Maryann Y.

Little One

Maryann Y.

He lies in my arms,

I was told He is the King of Kings;

His face rests against the hay-

It is the face of my Savior.

The Magi, they came,

With gifts for the Lord of Lords;

The shepherds,they also came

With nothing to offer but themselves;

Truly He is for all mankind.

Who am I-

Mary, that I be set apart as the

Mother of the Man that rescues me.

Truly, Lord....

You Reign.  

An Exciting New Year

    An Exciting New Year

Rebecca U.

           Well girls, we have made it through another year! I hope it was a good one for all of you. We are here at the beginning of another year. Our attitude as we approach this new year will make a major difference in what we will accomplish this year. There are two different ways we can look at this year.

With Indifference

          We can approach this year with an attitude of indifference. We can think that it's just another year full of work, another year with the same old things happening, that this year is nothing special. If we are looking at this next year in this way, it will be just another year of work. Another year that we don't accomplish anything really great. Just another boring year in our lives. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can choose to look at this next year another way.

With excitement

          We can approach this year with excitement. We can look forward to a year full of adventures, excitement, and new things. New things can be scary, but they can also be exciting. We can look forward to having another year to accomplish things we've dreamed of doing. We can cross more things off our bucket lists, visit new places, meet new people, and continue to learn and explore new things.

          Sometimes we look at our futures and are scared at what they may bring. But in those moments we can remember that God has our futures in His hands. Here are a couple of verses that I think are great reminders as we begin a new year.

          Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God knows our future. He has plans for our lives. Even though we may not know what those plans are, we are assured that God knows them. And He will reveal His plans for us in His timing, when we are ready for them.

          Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

God will never leave us alone. He will always be right there carrying us through whatever hard time has come our way. He will also be there in the good times, just walking next to us rejoicing in the good times.

          Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God has also promised to give us strength. We can do anything and everything God wants us to do, because He gives us strength. We can't do everything on our own; but we can do it with God's help. God won't tell us to do something that we can't do. Even when we think it's too difficult, if He has called us to do it, He will give us the strength and ability to do it.

As this new year begins, I want to encourage you to get excited about it. I know that we aren't always excited for another year. But this year can be different. We can look forward to this new year, because we have hope knowing that God has new and exciting things in store for us. We can look forward to the future with hope and joy, without fear because we have a personal relationship with the God of the universe, who controls everything. We can be excited and thankful for this new year, because God has another year full of new adventures for us.