Family Matters

Holding Things Together

by Teresa Glenn

“…to love their children, be keepers at home…that the word of GOD be not blasphemed.” (Titus 2:4-5)

Have you ever had a ‘battle’ with glue? You try to keep it in one place and it ends up all over your hands. Then everything you touch sticks to your hands. Now how do you get the things you want kept intact off your hands so you can go wash them? This can be a most frustrating, sticky experience. Yet, the glue serves a wonderful service of holding things together. This is often a very important characteristic, ‘holding things together’. However sometimes the very thing that is needed is the very thing that is so aggravating to us.

As keepers of the home it is our GOD given responsibility to help add the adhesive that holds things together in our family. From time to time our children may get a little annoyed at us for doing our jobs. Such as when we must gently and kindly remind them that our budgets do not allow for everything they want. Or when our teens want to go to an event we do not believe is safe for them. Or when our toddler wants to watch TV instead of getting dressed and we are running late already. Undoubtedly there are many other examples in your day-to-day activities when the situation can get ‘sticky’. Loving our children does not mean giving in to their every whim. It does not mean ignoring a situation that needs to be handled. Love does not just allow anything and everything whether good or bad for our children. Love shows respect for the child at the same time that it protects, directs, teaches, disciplines, limits, instructs, corrects, denies, allows, reminds, encourages and forgives.

Love suffers longs, and is kind according to 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our patience can wear pretty thin at times, yet our love remains strong for our children. Love does not take the easy road however. Love does what is spiritually correct and necessary in order to protect our children from evil. As Christian mothers we are watchful of dangers of all kind, physical or spiritual, that may harm them. We cannot allow the world or circumstances to dictate our choices. Using the word of GOD on a daily bases is necessary for us to remain on track. It is vitally important for us to remember our jobs to keep things together as we keep our lives and our families ‘stuck’ to the LORD!

Have a wonderfully ‘sticky’ week loving your family!

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