Friday, October 19, 2007
Fearless Friday #20
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
I think about fear so often when riding or walking around the local college campus. The acreage is teeming with wildlife, especially deer. I am not fearful, but I watch the reactions of the deer whose home I am attempting to share as I drive or hike past.
Those who have been around for years are docile, calm, and sociable -- if that is a deer characteristic. They do not run when vehicles approach. They do not interrupt their dinner or hurry their young away from the eyes of onlookers. Fawns usually run for cover, but it takes very little time before their skittish behavior becomes one of nonchalance and unwavering boldness.
How too can I become less fearful? Remembering the verse above is a good beginning. That was the theme verse for my study in Overcoming Fear these past two weeks.
Ms. Feinberg encourages the reader to go back and re-visit some fears from childhood as well as identifying some different types of fears found in Scripture. I found this a helpful exercise, especially looking at Psalm 91:5-10.
My God will protect me (and you) and have His angels take charge over (us). He says that no evil will take me down or come near my dwelling. In Him, I am safe.
Margaret says this:
"Not only does fear limit your ability to place your faith in God,
but if left unchecked, fear can also actually cause you to pull back from your relationship with God, choose to sin, and miss out on God's best for your life."
but if left unchecked, fear can also actually cause you to pull back from your relationship with God, choose to sin, and miss out on God's best for your life."
I wholeheartedly agree. I know I've had times in my life in which I have cowered and hidden rather than to stand boldly before God's throne of grace. I was steeped in sin and fear of the unknown. I missed out on His blessing, because I was too worried about what He would think of me and my actions.
What I am continuing to realize in my walk with God is that He is who He says He is. He is unchanging. He is compassionate. He is available to me. He does love me with an everlasting love. The better I get to know Him, the less I find fear guiding and directing my actions.
Now, fear still rears its ugly head more frequently than I'd like. This verse comes to mind in this area for me:
What I am continuing to realize in my walk with God is that He is who He says He is. He is unchanging. He is compassionate. He is available to me. He does love me with an everlasting love. The better I get to know Him, the less I find fear guiding and directing my actions.
Now, fear still rears its ugly head more frequently than I'd like. This verse comes to mind in this area for me:
"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."
Philippians 3:12-14 (MSG)
I'm going to leave you today with a question from the study.
Thinking on the theme verse from this lesson (2 Timothy 1:7), have you ever experienced a moment when God took away a spirit of fear and replaced it with His spirit of "power, of love, and of a sound mind?" How did that experience affect your faith? Your relationships? Your attitude toward God?
Let's all continue to walk each moment, each step of this journey of faith "Without Fear". I am excited to see how God releases us from the bondage that fear brings and encourages us to walk in freedom with Him as we get to know Him better and better.
I welcome all comments and discussion on this topic. Don't hesitate to email me if you'd like to chat further.
FEAR= False Evidence Appearing Real
Thinking on the theme verse from this lesson (2 Timothy 1:7), have you ever experienced a moment when God took away a spirit of fear and replaced it with His spirit of "power, of love, and of a sound mind?" How did that experience affect your faith? Your relationships? Your attitude toward God?
Let's all continue to walk each moment, each step of this journey of faith "Without Fear". I am excited to see how God releases us from the bondage that fear brings and encourages us to walk in freedom with Him as we get to know Him better and better.
I welcome all comments and discussion on this topic. Don't hesitate to email me if you'd like to chat further.
FEAR= False Evidence Appearing Real
Labels: discipline, fearless friday, God's Word, truth
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Chores: More Like a Carnival . . . RIDE
I'm going to join in with my two cents of what has and hasn't worked over my past 10 or so years of trying to get my children to help around the house.
- We've done it all.
- We've done allowances.
- We've bribed.
- We've cajoled.
- We've tried incentives.
- We've threatened.
- We've even yelled a time or two or three or more.
I am on the crest of something that is currently working for me, so I feel incredibly confident right now . . . just don't hold me to this for posterity because I know not when it will blow up in my face.
I actually came up with this system in the dark at our head-bangin' extremely contemporary evening church service one night a few months ago. We go to XL every week, and I sometimes find myself making lists during the music.
My chore chart came at one such time.
We have three children. For years I've unsuccessfully engaged them in the process of doing chores. I've devised numerous charts, used some, ditched others, and finally unearthed one similar to this one that I paid the same price for at least five years ago.
I decided to have a rotation of responsibilities that cover six days of our week.
Three children=two rotations of the chores each week, leaving Sunday as an "everybody pitches in" kind of day.
They each have three main chores each day, including those from this list:
- Empty dishwasher
- Clean bathroom
- Wash laundry (all laundry in laundry room by Monday a.m.)
- Fold laundry
- Put away laundry (Stacked on beds unless your own, then put away in dresser)
- Set table
- Clear table
- Sweep (kitchen, dining room, and living room)
- Dust
We tried doing allowance, but the whole idea of giving allowance for living and breathing in our house truly rattled me to my core. So, for basic tasks like making beds, keeping bed rooms tidy, and other livelihood items that allow them to comfortably function in my home -- they earn no money.
On the chore chart above, they get "Commission" for the chores they actually accomplish each day. We tally it through out the week and pay for jobs well done each Saturday. We offer a quarter per chore per day, with each child able to earn a maximum of $4.50 for basic chores per week.
If the chores are forgotten or not done to my satisfaction, a commission is not earned AND the chore gets left open for another sibling to come in and take over the commission for doing the task cheerfully and efficiently.
Fines are also a part of this system. If the child is disrespectful regarding doing an assigned chore or puts off an assigned task, a quarter is fined for each infraction.
We've been tweaking this system for awhile, but what has really sent my spirit soaring is the addition of this to our system. I cannot speak highly enough about Dave Ramsey or the products he's created and marketed. We got in on a great deal for our kids and scored two of these boxed kits for the price of one. They have now taken over our refrigerator, and our children are excited about seeing their money grow!
So, that's my take on the whole idea of chores. I can't wait to see what others have to say on this volatile and crazy subject for parents.
Don't forget to sign up over at Melanie's to join in on the carnival today!
Labels: carnival, chilihead, chores, discipline, parenting
Name:
