Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (NKJV)
Recently, my husband and I sat watching a television program together. The premise of the special was to demonstrate the danger that can accompany speaking with strangers.
I sat in my comfortable chair, and I called out to our seven-year-old son who was playing with his dogs in the adjacent room at the time. "Son, come watch this special with us." I yelled. Soon, we were all watching the program together.
In the special, parents watched from afar as their children accepted free ice cream from strangers. Some children even climbed into an ice cream truck with a man they had never met before. "How scary for those parents," I thought, feeling confident that I had taught my own son the valuable lesson of listening to his conscience.
When the program broke for commercial, I tested my son. "Son, what would you do if someone approached you and tried to lure you into his or her car?" My son replied, "I would kick and scream." I probed further. "And if he was able to capture you? What would you do?" Without giving him a chance to reply, I continued. "You know to pray too, right? God is more powerful than any scheme of the devil, right?"
My son patiently waited for me to stop asking questions. Then, he replied, "Can I tell you something Mom? You know what I would really do? I would bring my bible and tell the mean person about God." My husband and I began to giggle. Still, deep down I wondered, "What would our young impressionable son really do under temptation?" That same night before bed, I prayed with my son. "Lord, please help my son to resist temptations from Satan, especially the ones meant to cause him harm. Please keep him safe Lord. In Your Holy Name, Amen."
The next day, I felt unusually tired. So, after we returned home from school I said, "Honey, I am going to lay down and take a short nap. You can have your friends over after my nap. Make sure to do your homework before watching television." My son nodded in agreement.
It was rare for me to take naps during the day. But, I was suddenly physically exhausted. I needed to sleep for awhile! As I crawled into bed, my mind began to recall the television program from the night prior. "Certainly, my son would never answer the door when I rested," I confidently thought.
Just after my head hit my pillow, I heard the sound of knocking on our front door. I remained still. I wanted to see if my seven-year-old would open the door. Suddenly, the sound of an unfamiliar female voice wafted into my bedroom. My son had opened the door. What's worse, he didn't even ask who is it first. Then, before I could finish the frightful thought, "What if I had been fast asleep?" I heard the door close. I called out from the bedroom. "Son, who was it?" He replied, "The neighbor from upstairs," as he walked into my room. I then reminded him not to answer the door to anyone while I am sleeping.
Moments later, more knocking! "Are you kidding me?" I thought. I yelled, "Do not open that door!" This time, he listened. He peered through the window instead and saw his friend from down the street standing on the other side of the door. My son, then tiptoed back into my room and whispered, "Mom, it's _____." Pure frustration! I tried to remain calm while I replied, "Son, he will need to come back later." My son put his head down and quietly walked away.
However, less than a minute later, he entered my room a third time. Again, he began to whisper, "Mom, when should I tell him to come back?" That's it! I through the covers off of me and stood up. I said, "I just wanted to rest for a moment!" I stormed towards the front door. I was ready to yell at the next person who knocked.
But before I could turn the handle, I felt the Holy Spirit fill my heart. I opened the door to discover that the young boy, my favorite of all of my son's friends, was waiting outside."He looked at me with that "dear caught in the headlights look' and humbly said, "You can go back to sleep if you want. I can wait." I began to roar with laughter. How could I sleep now?
My son must have thought I had gone crazy! He could see how upset I was, yet I was laughing. I placed my hand on his friend's shoulder and invited him inside. "Perhaps I was never supposed to take that nap," I thought. Suddenly, I flashed back to that question in my mind from the night before. "What would my son really do if he was tempted?" I began to wonder, was God responding to my curiosity and providing a powerful way to teach my son obedience?'!
The two boys played for awhile before we all ate supper together. During dinner, I took the occasion to speak with both boys about respecting their parents. "We are commanded by God to honor and obey our parents." I said.
 |
| The Ten Commandments |
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment