Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1st Miss America Beauty contest. (Started in 1921) In the beginning the goal was to represent the highest ideals, a combination of beauty, grace, intelligence, talented and civic minded. Through the years many of the winners did go on to champion causes successfully using their title to be heard, but at what price?
Our girls (and guys) today are overwhelmed by body image issues. How unfortunate that as a flegling Christian nation we didn't focus, early on, on inward beauty only. The development of mind, soul and spirit came second to physical attraction.
Thousands of years before a young Jewish girl named Esther won her own beauty pageant. For her beauty and grace earned her the title of queen and an honored place in her husband's palace. Yet, when she was faced with a choice of losing all of it, including her life, in order to help save her people, Esther knew she had only on choice. She had to speak up, no matter what the consequences. Her courage and willingness to serve others saved God's people. Esther was more than just another queen, she was God's woman.
What a shame that as a people we don't promote these things rather than physical beauty. Wouldn't it be refreshing to see ladies regardless of body type or looks competing for who can be the most willing to serve and sacrifice for God and humanity? That is where the real beauty lies. Time is not kind to physical beauty and acculades fade, but those acts of sacrifice and service have an eternal timeline.
How do you overcome so great a bombardment of brainwashing physical idealism? You have to have regular conversations with your children (boys as well as girls) about what is of value to God.
Sit with them as they watch TV shows or movies. Follow out scenarios to the destined conclusion. Help your children spot the tactics media uses to influence them. For instance, commercials geared for men's products invariably have some women, dressed sexy, draped over a handsome man. What message are they trying to convey? If you buy my product you will have gorgeous women chasing you and you will be as popular as this man appears to be. It is all manipulation.
Help them develop a worldview where they can spot the agenda in TV shows, movies, billboards, commercials, etc. We have to give them ammunition in their own mind to defend against the messages they will receive and struggle to fight off.
You have to spend the time showing them what God values. Introduce them to the great men and women of the Bible. Help them see that beauty is insignificant. This can be especially hard for those children who are classified as beautiful and popular by their peers. It is an intoxicating distraction from soulful, spiritual growth.
I pray that you will all seek God daily as you interact with your children. You are their primary spiritual teacher. God will equip you with what you need each day. Blessings to you all.
Brenda
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Fast Food Spirituality
Hello Families,
It has been interesting interacting with my mother as she needs more and more assistance with normal life. I think of how she parented me and taught me through words and modeling to be loving and selfless. I wonder about the children being raised today in a world that promotes self absorption. How will they respond to parents in need in their later years in life?
It is important to get your children involved with selfless acts as young as possible. We all know how it feels when we give of ourselves without expecting anything in return. The Lord provides us with a sense of love and purpose that far exceeds any tangible reward. Children void of these opportunities will steadily become more hardened to offering themselves as vessels of blessing from the Lord.
How old will your children be when you hit the age of needing their help? How willing do you think they will be to be there for you? Any of you taking care of aging parents now understand what this could entail. We want our children to contribute to society, the Lord, and their family with a willing and servant's heart. How do you foster this?
This has to happen twofold. First you must find opportunities for your child to serve others without tangible reward. God will take care of the reward and it will be internal and eternal. Contact the church and ask to speak to the pastor over the seniors. Perhaps there are those in our congregation that need their lawn cared for or trash taken out. Perhaps they just need a visit and an opportunity to be listened to or read too. Bring them cookies or offer to cook them a meal. Find a neighbor in your community that could use some help. Start them as young as possible so giving of themselves becomes automatic.
The second thing you need to do is delay gratification. We live in a world that has programed us to get what we want as quickly as possible (fast food, 4G phones, ebay, overnight delivery, etc.) Children these days hear the message over and over that they deserve what they want and as quickly as possible. One of the deadliest things for a child's journey with the Lord is to see Him more as a vending machine. Request something and expect it to be provided right away. Anyone who has been a Christian for very long knows that waiting on God's perfect timing can sometimes take awhile. Children who are use to getting what they want right away struggle with this aspect of spiritual development. They give up on a God who must not be real or doesn't care because they didn't get what they wanted right away from Him. Help them understand that our purpose on this earth is to serve not to be served.
This has already become a trend among adults. More and more people are walking away from the giving of their time volunteering in the church, because it impacts their personal wants or pursuits. They rob themselves of the higher reward of God's blessing and the spiritual maturity and growth that goes on as a result of serving and volunteering.
Deliberately set up opportunities regularly for your family to serve others. You will instill in yourself and them a habit of service that will help you all grow closer as a family and further God's purposes for your lives at the same time.
Remember, those kids will be taking care of you some day, or will they?
Food for thought.
Brenda
It has been interesting interacting with my mother as she needs more and more assistance with normal life. I think of how she parented me and taught me through words and modeling to be loving and selfless. I wonder about the children being raised today in a world that promotes self absorption. How will they respond to parents in need in their later years in life?
It is important to get your children involved with selfless acts as young as possible. We all know how it feels when we give of ourselves without expecting anything in return. The Lord provides us with a sense of love and purpose that far exceeds any tangible reward. Children void of these opportunities will steadily become more hardened to offering themselves as vessels of blessing from the Lord.
How old will your children be when you hit the age of needing their help? How willing do you think they will be to be there for you? Any of you taking care of aging parents now understand what this could entail. We want our children to contribute to society, the Lord, and their family with a willing and servant's heart. How do you foster this?
This has to happen twofold. First you must find opportunities for your child to serve others without tangible reward. God will take care of the reward and it will be internal and eternal. Contact the church and ask to speak to the pastor over the seniors. Perhaps there are those in our congregation that need their lawn cared for or trash taken out. Perhaps they just need a visit and an opportunity to be listened to or read too. Bring them cookies or offer to cook them a meal. Find a neighbor in your community that could use some help. Start them as young as possible so giving of themselves becomes automatic.
The second thing you need to do is delay gratification. We live in a world that has programed us to get what we want as quickly as possible (fast food, 4G phones, ebay, overnight delivery, etc.) Children these days hear the message over and over that they deserve what they want and as quickly as possible. One of the deadliest things for a child's journey with the Lord is to see Him more as a vending machine. Request something and expect it to be provided right away. Anyone who has been a Christian for very long knows that waiting on God's perfect timing can sometimes take awhile. Children who are use to getting what they want right away struggle with this aspect of spiritual development. They give up on a God who must not be real or doesn't care because they didn't get what they wanted right away from Him. Help them understand that our purpose on this earth is to serve not to be served.
This has already become a trend among adults. More and more people are walking away from the giving of their time volunteering in the church, because it impacts their personal wants or pursuits. They rob themselves of the higher reward of God's blessing and the spiritual maturity and growth that goes on as a result of serving and volunteering.
Deliberately set up opportunities regularly for your family to serve others. You will instill in yourself and them a habit of service that will help you all grow closer as a family and further God's purposes for your lives at the same time.
Remember, those kids will be taking care of you some day, or will they?
Food for thought.
Brenda
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