Bringing up children

Ruth Kirk

This poem came out of reflecting on the qualities we need in order to bring up children who will have the best possible chance of good mental health for the rest of their lives.

Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor (Psalm 52:2; NLT).

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT; my emphasis).

Babies need patience:
Infinite patience,
Genuine patience –
And love.

Children need kindness:
Trustworthy kindness,
Wholehearted kindness –
And love.

People need goodness:
Unreserved goodness,
Consummate goodness –
And love.

The fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; AMP).

References

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

Reading: Psalm 74:3-8; NLT). 

Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary. There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards. They swung their axes like woodcutters in a forest. With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling. They burned your sanctuary to the ground. They defiled the place that bears your name. Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!” So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

PTSD

Ruth Kirk

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mine started in childhood, and has so far been lifelong, chronic and complex. Here is a small, possible coping strategy for dealing with unbidden memories. I saw it in prayer this morning.

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV). 

Whenever I think of my mother
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “Stop!”
Then I breathe out again.

Whenever I think of her judgements
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “No!”
Then I breathe out again.

Whenever I think of her fury
I breathe in the pain.
Barring her voice from my mind,
I forgive her again.

So, I don’t take my thoughts any further,
But breathe through the pain,
And wait for the moment to pass,
Then start living again.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NIV). 

References

For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).

Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).

 

Human and divine?

Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog follows on from a piece I posted here a couple of days ago. If you haven’t already seen it, you might find it helpful to read that one first: https://wp.me/p45bCr-mDU.

Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (2 Peter 1:4; NLT).

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26; NLT).

Lord,

Are we, too, human
And divine –
Not just here on earth,
But for all time?

We are your siblings –
Children of one God;
Drinking your cup, Lord,
Trusting your staff and rod;

Bearing your grief,
Your dread of facing death;
Sharing your cross, your pain,
Your final breath.

We are your flesh and blood,
Your heart, and soul;
You are our way, our truth, our life,
Our goal.

Christ lives within you (Romans 8:10; NLT).

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10; CSB).

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; CSB).

References

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).

To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12; NLT).

Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother! (Matthew 12:50; NLT).

Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering” (Mark 10:39; NLT).

Rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory (1Peter 4:13; CSB).

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! (Philippians 3:8-11; NLT).

Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? (1 Corinthians 6:15; CSB).

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

Nothing at all

Ruth Kirk

I am nothing but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NIV).

He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

I’m nothing at all
Without your love, Creator.

I’m nothing at all
Without you, Jesus Christ.

I’m nothing at all
Without you, Holy Spirit.

I’m nothing at all
Without your sacrifice.

God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin (Romans 3:25; NLT).

God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time (Hebrews 10:10; NLT).

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; NLT).

References

This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 John 4:10; NLT).

This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many (Matthew 26:28; NLT).

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).

Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7; NLT).

Jesus

Ruth Kirk

My beloved is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NIV).

Jesus:
You are so kind,
So just, so good –
You are my way, my truth,
My life, and my love.

Jesus:
You are so brave,
So dear, so wise –
You are my joy, my tears,
My peace, and my prize.

Jesus:
You are my bread,
My staff, my rod –
You are my light, my strength,
My Lord, and my God.

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

References

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14; NLT).

And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing (2 Timothy 4:8; NLT).

Human and divine

Ruth Kirk

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body (Colossians 2:8-9; NLT).

Christ… is the exact likeness of God (2 Corinthians 4:4; NLT).

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; NLT).

Jesus,

You are human
And divine –
Not just here on earth,
But for all time.

The Son of Man, the Christ,
Our Lord, our God –
You are our bread and wine,
Our staff and rod.

We are your joy, your pain,
Your cross, your soul –
You are our way, our truth,
Our life: our goal.

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; CSB).

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings… Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it (Philippians 3:10;12 CSB).

References:

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

Then the disciples worshiped him. “You a really are the Son of God!” They exclaimed (Luke 24:52; NLT).

My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

Readings:

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11; NLT).

Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! (Philippians 3:8-11; NLT).

Seeking

Ruth Kirk

Moses went into the darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21; BST).

Enter your darkness –
Seeking your light.

Wait there in silence –
Seeking your voice.

Welcome your loneliness –
Seeking your truth.

Rest there in stillness –
Seeking your way.

His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27; NLT).

When you struggle

Ruth Kirk

Is not all human life a struggle? (Job 7:1; NLT).

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? (Psalm 13:2; NLT).

When you struggle:
I am near.

When you suffer:
I am here –

Sharing all your
Grief and pain –

Come, be one with me
Again!

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

References

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul Genesis 2:7; KJV).

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

Reading: Philippians 3:8-11.

Walk in love

Ruth Kirk

This is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love (2 John 1:6; NIV).

Walk in love,
And meet in love.

Serve in love,
And speak in love.

Pray in love,
And live in love.

Rest in love –
And trust in love.

God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

I will always trust in God’s unfailing love (Psalm 52:8; NLT).

References

Use your freedom to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13; NLT).

Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).

Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).

I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation (Psalm 13:5; NIV).

Remember

Ruth Kirk

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation (Luke 11:4; NLT).

Always ask for God’s forgiveness –
And
Remember to absolve
Yourself,
And all who hurt you.

Always ask for God’s assistance –
And
Remember to support
Yourself,
And all in need.

Always ask for God’s compassion –
And
Remember to console
Yourself,
And all who suffer.

Always ask for God’s protection –
And
Remember to defend
Yourself,
And all the weak.

Always ask for God’s redemption –
And
Remember to release
Yourself,
And all in chains.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1; NIV).