tuesday reads

i can’t get enough of reading great articles today so i decided to share them in this post. here’s my heart behind desiring to seek wisdom and knowledge; why my heart is thirsty for answers and why i am desperate for advice when it comes to raising children well. i am longing for insight into why i see the things i see. i had no idea that when i got involved in the world of pediatric medicine that my eyes would see young children attempting suicide and begging for attention about it on social media; teenagers hanging themselves to death because, well no one really knows why, maybe because someone posted it on facebook or youtube, or maybe it was because they were being bullied. either way, it shouldn’t have happened. i had no idea that drug addiction was the norm in some affluent communities, that kids go to rehab, multiple times. i had no idea that eating disorders ruled the hearts of so many kids, that kids felt so UNLOVED. i had no idea that the horror stories we see on the news about “isolated incidents” of these tragedies are NOT so isolated at all. 
may we love our children, friend’s children, neighbors, strangers, etc well and may we validate their existence with the unconditional love of Christ.
comparison
“Pick up a yardstick to measure your life against anyone else’s and you’ve just picked up a stick and beaten up your own soul.
Measuring sticks always become weapons. Of Self-Harm”…continue reading at the link below:
about joyful parenting
“This is our fundamental calling as parents — to be the smile of God to our children. We are charged by God to bring our children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. God himself has commanded us to communicate to our children what he is like. And God is fundamentally a Happy Father, a Well-Pleased Parent. And just as the Father communicates his delight in his Son through his words and deeds and demeanor and presence, so also should we”…continue reading at the link below: 
about suffering
“This reality is a stark reminder that we have not reached the new heavens and new earth. The new Jerusalem of no tears and no pain, of no mourning and no death, hasn’t arrived yet (Revelation 21:1, 4)”…continue reading at the link below:

about idols
  • “Affirmation: This idol can include being affirmed by friends and family, and even by strangers, that our children are “so well behaved” or “so talented.” Pride then bubbles up in our heart. And when we don’t get those kinds of responses, or even receive the opposite, we are discouraged and frustrated. We also can seek affirmation through our children; their love for us can become an idol. Children: Our children in and of themselves can become idols. It can start with even the desire to have children. It can become an all-consuming longing, becoming more important in our life than God. Once we have children, they can become idols when we live for them and always try to make them happy. We can seek to find our fulfillment in and through them. When they don’t respond to us as we expect or fail us in some way, we are devastated. Success: We want our children to be successful because it is a reflection on us. We may press them endlessly to excel. We may have in our mind an image of what our “perfect family” looks like, and until we have it, we feel like a failure. If our children have limitations in some way, this may shatter our dreams as well”…continue reading at the link below:

prayers for facing tomorrow

“Most circumstances we face involve faces. Real people. People with their own stories. People with eternal souls. This means oftentimes how we face situations is really about how we relate to others. And what we need is humility. We need a deep, sincere sense that we are creatures. If the first prayer is to know the greatness and goodness of God, this second prayer is to know that greatness and goodness are original to him, not us. We are not that great. We are not that good”…continue reading at the link below:


http://www.aholyexperience.com/

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