they did not know how to live
nobody taught them
they were only taught how to die
so that is what they taught us
how to die
i however, want to live
so teach me how to live
i already know how to die.
25.12.2021
Wanjiku
Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
Malachi 2:15
When a child arrives to a home, be it a father mother home or a single parent home, their very presence and unending demands do tend to overwhelm the adults. Child is 100% dependent for them to live and grow. Child needs to be fed. To be changed. To be bathed. To be clothed. To be put to bed. To be turned while asleep. Then they ‘grow legs’ and parents become literal gate keepers. Putting hurdles, locks and obstacles everywhere to keep the child safe.
While all these physical nurturing is happening it is very easy to get overwhelmed and not nurture their mental, spiritual, emotional and social well being. Because if we are to be honest, taking care of the physical needs of a child is full time job. Sometimes we even hire extra hands to help us do it right. Ensure the child eats and drinks right, is changed at the right time, sleeps at the right time, is clean and safe.
Unfortunately while we as parents are swamped in ensuring the child/ren under our care grow and live, blinded mostly by the screaming physical needs, the spiritual, emotional, mental and social needs of the child/ren can and do fall through the cracks. Sadly, the consequences of this slip is not noticed until it is too late or when we are now correcting unwanted behaviours and tendencies.
Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. ( Titus 2:3-5)
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I had an animated discussion concerning the various ‘issues’ that face our marriage and many marriages today. Then he quoted my Bible Teacher the one and only Pastor Jon Courson who said: and i parapharse “If older women would teach and walk with younger women as commanded in God’s Word they would drastically reduce the time pastors dedicate to counselling and in turn that time would be redirected to the teaching of God’s Word”
That conversation and statement took me to Titus 2:3-5 and I have been musing over those Words for some time now. Wondering out to myself the impact among those who call themselves Christians if we wholly fully obeyed God’s Word: and for this specific discourse, if older women obeyed God’s command to carry themselves in a respectable manner and then to teach what is good and to encourage the young women.
What impact would such obedience have on the Christian family unit?
What impact would such obedience have on the Pastorate?
What impact would such obedience have in the Body of Christ?
What impact would such obedience have in the society it occurs?