Children just like Daniel

I spent some time with a friend and her children the other day. It had been a while since we had seen each other. Kids sure change quickly in a short amount of time. We couldn't believe how each other's had grown since the last time we saw one another. Most noticeably to me, however, was the way her elementary children talked to me. When they needed to know where something was, they looked directly at me, spoke clearly and loud enough. They used 'please' and 'thank you' without being prompted by a nearby parent. I was visibly impressed and commented to my friend that her children had stellar manners.

As I reflected more on our time together, it became clearer to me why her children made an impression on me. It wasn't just what they did, but also what lack of I see from so many other children day to day. I was at the store recently and a mother was asking her son, who was about the same age as my friend's boy (7 yrs.), what yogurt he wanted. As she went through the varieties, his responses to her where disheartening and frankly uncomfortable to hear. "Ah, yah. Ah, no." With all the attitude included. And the mom, she seemed oblivious to the whole thing, perhaps just happy to get an answer out of her boy.

Our children know that they are expected to speak kindly to any adult, be it a parent, grandparent, store clerk, neighbor, teacher, etc. Unfortunately, I think a lot of parents give up too early when teaching their very young children how to be respectful to them. And in return, they and their children miss out on the rewards that come from leading a life of properly placed respect.

In chapter 1 of the book of Daniel in the Bible, we see that Daniel was taken as a youth from his family and forced to live in a foreign culture, and given food that was forbidden by his God. It is recorded in two separate instances where he makes a request to an authority that would allow him to follow the dietary laws of his faith. The scriptures say that God had given Daniel favor in the sight of these authorities. Let's think about this for a minute. This child, probably a very young teen, ripped from his parents, was asking to do something other than his captor had commanded just because he wanted to obey his God. Aside from the awesome fact that he was standing up for what he believed in, I want you to notice how he must have talked to the authorities in such a way that God had given him favor with them.

When my friend's children spoke to me with respect, I wanted to help them, I wanted to 'go that extra mile' to see that they had what they needed. By them treating me with respect, I treated them with respect in return. I know that I have felt this in my own life, and I think we can see that happening in the Daniel example as well. My husband and I often tell our children that many good things come from talking rightly, and it starts at home. What is done at home will overflow into other settings, and it should, for the home is the training ground for life.

These 2 very different examples that I came upon were a strong reminder for me to stay the course with our children. I want them to have the best opportunities in life. It's not easy to stay on top of disrepectful attitudes, but the rewards are much longer than the toil it took to train them.

Be encouraged my mom friends, your hard work is worth it!

oldnavyweekly.com

Have you been to www.oldnavyweekly.com yet? Old Navy puts coupons good for one week only on this site. You search throughout the webpage flyer with your cursor looking for hidden coupons and offers. There are only a certain number of these so once they are gone, they're gone. Some of the coupons are as good as $60 off $100 and so on.

I usually can find a 15 or 20% off coupon but have never struck it rich with the big ones. It may be because I just found out recently that Old Navy changes their coupons at about 3 a.m. Friday mornings, and that several people have been staying up until then just to grab these deals. Old Navy has caught on to this and is now beginning to release the bigger coupons throughout the week. Deal Seeking Mom in my faves section below outlines where these coupons are located on the site.

Happy hunting!

The Waiting Room

We have been waiting this year. Waiting in God's waiting room. Shane and Shane (www.shaneandshane.com)
have a song called 'Waiting Room' that parallels what we experienced.

Lord i know if i change my mind
You will change my heart in time
Sovereign Lord this time's from You
so i sit in the waiting room of silence
cause its all about You

He designed our time here, and just recently, our name was called to move on. After facing a year of uncertainty in my husband's employment, our souls were parched and bewildered wondering if we had missed anything else in this time of self-examination. No, it had so much less to do with us, and so much more to do with God's orchestration of events. It continues to amaze me that when I think nothing more can be squeezed out of a deadline, He does it, and so masterfully like only the Creator God can.

He is a good and faithful God. Even though moving to a new state was not part of my plan for this year, His goodness awaits my family and I there. Though the boxes and the parting goodbyes are never easy nor pleasant, I am so thankful to be out of the waiting room.