Teenagers

Where do we get the idea that the teenage years are years of rebellion? Is rebellion then necessarily any worse than any other time in our lives? Can we really blame rebellion on hormones?

I had many "warnings" from family and acquaintances when my girls were small. "You just wait until they are teenagers", "Whoa, you're going to have three teen girls at once, look out", "Oh, you just wait you'll have to deal with all this ________(insert some kind of rebellion) too", "They all go through it, you just grit your teeth till its over".

Now, I know I have many teen years to go through yet with my girls, but I have seen none of this yet. My girls are 14, 12, and 10, and the only thing I have noticed with hormones is some weepiness that lasted about a year. (The 10 year old has not done this yet.) We have not seen any increase in sassiness, or disobedience.

I definitely had a problem when I was a teen, but I cannot say that it started then. I remember being angry a lot when I was a kid. Maybe I just got more bold about it at that age. I was also rebellious against my husband during the first several years of marriage. So is it the teens, or is the rebellion always there in us, and it just comes out physically usually during the teen years.

I'm just wondering if the difference isn't that my children know that sassiness and disobedience is just not tolerated? They are able to take the things that are bothering them to the Lord for help? Or maybe its from being homeschooled (read sheltered :) ) and without television?

A quick note about television..... When the youngest girl was 8 she started to be "mouthy" and would bob her head funny when she did it. I got the idea to ask about the tv; as they had been allowed to watch it on weekends at that time. Apparently a girl on tv (Raven) talked that way. Problem was easily solved when we took away the program.

Here's to praying that all of our teenagers are able to deal with their "feelings" by taking them to the Lord and their parents. God bless them all! I'll let you all know if rebellion becomes an issue in our family all of a sudden. Comment me and let me know what your thoughts on teens are.

On Being Content

Heb 13:5, Phil 4:11 Jos 7:7

The Lord has been contending with me with contentment for a couple of months now. It actually started with my daughter learning about purity and being content where God has her now. God speaks to us when were are listening, but not always about what we are listening for.

Before I had believed to "Be content with such things as ye have..." (Heb 13:5) meant material things and I mostly don't have a problem there. However, God has shown me that he means all sorts of "things" material, physical, emotional, spiritual. Now we should not be content to not be growing spiritually, however my discontentment was showing in what I perceived my husbands spiritual growth to be. I mean I was basing my spiritual staleness on my husbands leadership. I had ideas of how my husband should be leading our family spiritually. Wow, I had not seen this coming, but I had to admit it was so true. God knows our hearts. I confessed my sin to God and to my hubby. I made a commitment to not compare my hubby to other men, to not read things that would cause me to be discontent, to pray for his (dh's) spiritual growth for his (dh's) sake and to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

I knew that when we make new commitments to God that satan usually attacks, so I was prepared for praying and reading scripture, and resisting the devil so he will flee from me. Wow, was I knocked for a loop when satan attacked my hubby instead of me. Satan twisted my words in my hubby's mind and told him "She is only settling for you". Well we had some very late night talks for the next several nights with much confession and prayer, and as a result became closer as a couple and closer to God.

God has done some amazing things in our life through this. Anyway, the contentment issue came up again last night at The Basic Seminar. This time I started thinking about my desire to have another baby. Could I be content to never have another child. Well the message was that God desires the best for us, and can we see the best in our situation and thank God for where we are. The suggestion was to make a 2 lists of the advantages of both sides, so that we can be content and see God's blessing/purpose in His will. So here is mine. It is not exhaustive, and some of my reasons are selfish, but honest.

Advantages of No More Children/Advantages of Having Another Child
More time to spend with the Lord (Reading, Praying, Studying, Serving) / Adding to the "Christian" population

More time to sew, keep home,be a helpmeet. / Raising more Godly seed to impact the world

More able to concentrate on homeschooling and training the children I already have. /A younger sibling for a companion for the next youngest. And to teach him compassion and selflessness, and so he won't be spoiled.

Save money (medical bills, extra car seat, another chair, etc) /Psalm 127

Sleep / A new baby to love, cuddle, nurse.

Not having to worry about pregnancy complications, birth defects / A purpose for the next 18 years.

Okay, so my list is even though somewhat flawed. I know that I have responsibilities past 18 years, I know that we can have other expenses come up and that God is in control of that. I know I may not get to sleep anyway. I know that I cannot guarantee that my children will be saved. And for anyone with a special baby: I know that they are huge blessings and that God gives generous helpings of the fruits of the spirit for them.

May God bless all who read this with a spirit of contentment.