God against Pharaoh

Last night my husband and I were so frustrated with parenting that I was literally ready to throw in the towel. I feel like our frustration levels are so high, and we are lacking the evidence of fruit that we need to feel encouraged enough to keep pressing on. I prayed last night for the Lord to give me wisdom as well as the encouragement I so badly need right now.

This morning I read Exodus 2:1-10. Jochebed, the mother of Moses trusted God with her son even when Pharaoh's evil was working against her. She trusted Him and he blessed her. I feel like I have a HUGE Pharaoh in my life working against me and my efforts to raise Godly children. My Pharaoh is the world. It's ungodly neighborhood children and their families, school, friends. Every where my children go it seems they pick up on such worldly things and negative traits. I sometimes feel like my efforts are useless and I am loosing to the outside influences.

I can't lock my children up and never let them out in the world (although I wouldn't mind it!) Last week Brady said a curse word (at church even!) that my husband and I have never used, yesterday Zack was talking in the car about Grand Theft Auto...a video game that we have NEVER let him play. Where do they get these things. Unfortunately they do go to public school and I know that is a huge part of it. I think about homeschooling ALL the time but we have tried that before and it didn't work out very well for us. I question my decision on that issue every single day, but my husband and feel like we can't keep putting them in and pulling them out. So until we can make a sound and somewhat permanent decision on the matter we have decided to leave them where they are.

In the mean time, I guess I need to be more like Jochebed and trust God completely for the welfare of my children. Even though it may have sometimes looked like Pharaoh had the upper hand, Jochebed loved God and knew that He was bigger than any of Pharaoh's evil schemes.

Obedience

Last night my husband and I sat down to look at our house rules and make up a list of things we want to work on with our children. In the end we realized that what we want more than anything else is simply obedience. Everything else we wrote on our list seemed to fit into that category anyway. No running in the house.......treat others with kindness.......use words instead of hitting.....clean up after yourself......these are all all important house "rules", but none of it will do any good with out the simple act of obedience on their part.

This made me look this morning at what "rules" the Lord has been trying to establish with me. ......honor my husband.....serve my family selflessly with a joyful heart.....no complaining....spend less money each pay day.....control anger and irritation......Am I being obedient?

Obedience is not always easy but it is always worth it. Obedience to God always brings reward. Deuteronomy 28 spells out the rewards promised to those who obey the Lord, and then the cursing of those who do not. I know which side of that plan I want to be on!!

In the end my husband and I decided that in addition to consequences for disobedience we want to have a reward system for obedience. We came up with a plan to have obedience jars where they will have a certain number of beads each. Throughout they day when they are not obedient (obedience being...the first time asked with out whining, complaining or delay) they have to take out a bead and bring it to us. At the end of the week there will be a reward for those who have a certain amount of beads left in their jar. It got late so we didn't get to work out all the details just yet, but the idea is there and we will work on it more tonight.