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A simple guide for parents so they can focus on 4 major lessons during the adolescence stage with their children. (Catered to boys but can be used for girls as well.)   Lesson 1: Put aside distractions
“And when He had sent the multitudes away...” (Matthew 14:23) The multitudes, or crowds, are not necessarily a distraction, after all, Jesus ended up ministering to them. But they can be if they are a barrier to solitude. Put aside anything that will keep you from being alone with God. Jesus was intentional about His time with God. He didn’t wait until the crowds left. He didn’t ask the disciples to convince them to leave. He didn’t just avoid them and run off to a secret place. He sent the multitudes away. Most, if not all, of us know what the multitudes are in our own lives; the thing(s) we need to send away. Meet it head on. Any distraction, be it digital, physical, mental, emotional, vocational, financial, and so on, requires time. Where there is no investment of your time there is no opportunity for intimacy, or close connection. Distractions are a time-killer; therefore, they are an intimacy-killer. Have you heard of Parkinson’s Law? Parkinson’s Law is the adage that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. The term was first coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in a humorous essay he wrote for “The Economist” in 1955. He shares the story of a woman whose only task in a day is to send a postcard -- a task which would take a busy person approximately three minutes. But the woman spends an hour finding the card, another half hour looking for her glasses, 90 minutes writing the card, 20 minutes deciding whether to take an umbrella along on her walk to the mailbox…and on and on, until her day is filled. Let’s look at a modern example. You want to start your day with Bible reading and journaling. You plan to set aside, let’s just say, 15 to 20 minutes. But because you know you have enough time, and don’t plan to get into so much material, you get derailed. While you’re opening your Bible and finding the next blank page in your journal, you decide to pick up your phone. You tell yourself that you’ll check out some “inspirational” reels or the latest devotional from dailyaltar.org (shameless plug), but then you end up spending ten minutes watching behind the scenes videos about tiny houses, or reels with beautiful destinations in Italy, that you will probably never visit. Ultimately, the thing that should have been a delightful and focused effort turns into a I-shouldn’t-have moment. That’s Parkinson’s Law in action. {Excerpt from Daily Altar, 7 Disciplines of a Power Couple}  Some people might associate the word meditation with yoga, mystical mind exercises, or something related. In a word, techniques that people use to attain a type of “inner peace.”
It’s rubbish. Before the word meditation, and the practice thereof, was ransacked by the culture, God had something to say about it. When the Bible speaks of meditation, as it often does, it is not the kind of meditation that seeks to disengage, silence, or empty the mind, as in Transcendental or Buddhist forms of meditation. The Scriptures teach meditation that actively engages the mind for the purpose of understanding God’s Word and putting it into practice.  Our house has been a mess these last few days and weeks.
As we plan to move out of state, we have boxed up several of our belongings (you know, those temporary, earthly belongings that we all have...ones we will not hold on to forever) and the rest we plan to tackle very soon. It's bittersweet. We'll miss it here in Michigan but at the same time we're looking forward to this next stage in our life (and the warmer weather, year-round, will be nice too but, hey, I digress). The main lesson we've been teaching Levy & Seth during this transition is that we do not have a forever home on this earth. No matter how nice the city we live in, the house we have, the things we've gotten used to, even our family and friends, nothing is forever. Our eternal home is with God. This should not motivate us to live with fear or to be lazy. It should urge us to live holy and godly lives (see 2 Peter 3:11) and to make the most of every opportunity since the days are evil (see Ephesians 5:16). It might sound like a bit much to be telling our children that nothing is forever and to not get attached to things. It's not. Having lost my father at the end of last year, I can tell you with Biblical certainty, there's nothing more important than preparing for and desiring to be with Jesus. It should be so normal for the normal Christian to think this way. But we are so earthly minded. We don't think about death and eternity enough, and as a result, we are engulfed in activities that make us dumber and we love/like things that can't love or like us back. Jesus had no place to lay his head. He knew very well that He was here for a short time and had a mission (i.e., God's will) to fulfill. Do you and I? "Oh, that's Jesus", someone might be quick to say. Yes, that's Jesus. He is the only One we should be following! The patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith knew very well they were passerbys and sojourners on this earth. We're concerned with what style chandelier we will replace the dining room lighting with. In about 3 months time, Seth, our youngest, went from "No, I don't want to move. Never!", to "How many more days tati (daddy)? I'm so excited." If only we would have that same attitude of heart and say, "Jesus, how many more days? I'm so excited to be with you." Keep the fire burning, Danny |
ALTARPRENEURwith Danny & Daniela Kovacs
WHYNo family is an island. Join us as we share candid discussions, Biblical advice & resources to help keep God at the center of your faith, family and career. MICROBLOGS
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