Hoarders

I was watching the show "Hoarders" the other night.  While watching it I began to wonder how someone, anyone, could let their house get so out of order that they had to crawl over things just to get in the front door.  There was a man on the show that was explaining how his house got so out of control.  He said that at first when things were not put away it looked messy, but he did not do anything about it.  And then as time went on and more and more things were out of place, it began to look normal.... he got used to the mess and accepted it as a normal thing.

I began thinking.... that is exactly how sin gets into our lives.  We let "little" sins into our lives and they stay there, we never confess them and get rid of them.  And then more sin come into our lives and pretty soon we get used to the sins and they take over our lives.  Soon it gets to where we don't see our sins as being sins, we just see them as ordinary, every day things.  We need to wake up and do some cleaning of our hearts and lives.  We need to remember that our children are watching us.  Do we want our children to get so used to sin that it doesn't bother them?  Do we want our children to be so used to sin that they are not convicted when the preacher preaches against sin?

Let's determine that we are not going to be hoarders of sinful things.  Let's raise Godly children who know right from wrong.  Children that will stand against the attack of Satan and not let sin into their lives.  We can't raise our children to be strong and not let sin in when our lives are so filled with sin. Let's determine to clean out our hearts and lives, get rid of those things that are not right in our house, get rid of those video games that are destroying our children, get rid of those TV shows that tear down the family, get rid of that music that talks of sin and enjoying it.  Let's have homes that are not filled with sin but homes that are filled with things that are pleasing to God and things that uplift the family.  It's time to clean house before it is too late.

Encouragement goes a long way

A story is told that a man had a puppy that he was training to do things and one of the things he was training his puppy to do was get the morning paper and bring it to the door.  The first morning the puppy brought the paper to the door and the man showered the puppy with praise and gave him several treats.  The next morning the man opened his front door and to his surprise he found 10 papers!  The puppy was so delighted with the praise and rewards that he received the day before that he went around the neighborhood and collected other papers to bring to his master.

While our children certainly are not animals, they do love to hear us praise them.  Sometimes we get so busy with everything going on in our lives that we only tell our children what to do and we never take the opportunity to praise them.  But if they do something wrong, we are quick to point it out.  If we aren't careful, our children will start questioning why they should do what they are told to do when we are only going to point out the bad things.  What is the use?  They are more than likely going to get yelled at anyway so why should they even care if they do a good job.

While we should not teach our children to expect praise or reward when they do a good job, we do need to praise them often and tell them we love them every day.  When I was a child my brother and I had to stay at a preacher's house for a few days and while we were there I heard the preacher and his wife tell their children they loved them and they said it often throughout the day.  Those were words that my brother and I did not hear in our family and even though I was a child, I made up my mind that when I had children they would hear the words "I love you" often... and they do.

We have no promise of tomorrow so let's make it a great day today.  Tell your children that you love them and praise them when they do a good job. 

Have a great day!!!

Lest we forget.....

9/11 is a day that will live on in the memory of most of us for years to come.  As the day began, it was a day like any other..... people woke up, ate breakfast, brushed their teeth, got dressed, drove to work and began their day.  The people that worked in the twin towers had no idea what was in store for them that day.  I've often wondered if they had known that they would not be returning home that day then perhaps would would have said they were sorry for whatever had caused their marriage to drift apart, or perhaps they would have forgiven their loved one instead of holding a grudge for another day.  Perhaps they would have held their husband, wife or children closer to them as they said good bye and whispered a long over-due, "I love you!" in their ears.  Many people that day did not get another chance to do or say the things that needed to get done or said. 

I noticed that for a little while after 9/11 we became more tolerable towards one another.  There was not as much road rage, families spent more time together and more importantly, the churches were full.  We realized what was important and that it could have been us in the towers, we could have been the ones that never returned home.  That same truth still holds true today.  We have no guarantee of time.  We may not wake up tomorrow, we may not make it home tomorrow evening, none of us know when our time is up.  For that reason, we should treat today as if it were our last.  We should hold our loved ones close and tell them how much we love them... MANY times each day.  Don't carry a grudge, forgive and remember that no one is perfect.  Tell your children how much they mean to you and how proud you are of them... we can NEVER say that too much!  And most of all, live your life for God.  Be faithful to Him and put Him FIRST in everything you do. 

Let us never forget......           Have a great week!!!