Growing Kids - Not Grass

                                                                  Order in the Home


Hey girls! This is a repost of the blog that was posted last week. For some reason it "fell off" of the internet.Here it is again but without Cousin Camp pictures.


It has been a whirlwind of 4 weeks since I last posted---so many events in the Harris family that time has flown! Our girls returned from Kenya totally changed by what they saw and experienced and their experience has been used by God to change those of us left behind.
Larry and I held the second "Cousin Camp" for 9 of our 13 grandkids(they have to be at least 5 before they can attend)---- two grandparents and the kids! If there are any grandparents reading this, I strongly encourage you to try it! We had a blast and each time we do this we grow to know the kids in deeper ways than before. School has begun and 3 of the grandkids began the long haul of education for the first time! These events are just a few of those that have rocked and rolled the Harris family. No doubt each of you have stories of your own to tell.

The message behind "Growing Kids, Not Grass" is obviously to encourage you to be purposeful in prioritizing and taking seriously the assignment and privilege of raising the children God has given you. There are myriads of ingredients that blend together to create successful parenting. Foremost is having a relationship with Jesus as Your Savior and Lord. The next ingredient is the husband-wife relationship. I realize that some who read this may be divorced and this will hopefully not discourage you, but help you to teach your children how they should live when and if they marry. My intent is certainly not to bring guilt and condemnation to those who are divorced or those who were raised in broken homes, but this is a subject that cannot be ignored.

Statistics show that 5 out of 10 marriages end in divorce and sadly, the divorce rate is higher among Christians than non-Christians. With churches on every corner, teachings on marriage, counseling, etc, what is going on? It is not the message of the Word on marriage that is wrong, it is that one or both in broken marriages have chosen to do things their own way, not God's way. That statement is true in any aspect of life---not living according to God's word sets us up for failure.

See if this scenario rings a bell of truth to you. Most girls, from childhood, dream of becoming a beautiful bride, walking down the aisle in a gorgeous gown, eyes fixed on a handsome hunk of a man waiting for her at the altar. He is her knight in shining armor, her prince charming, the one who will whisk her away into a perfect world of marital bliss and happily ever after. Soon, reality begins to blow its icey cold gusts between the walls of her dreamworld and she wakes from the dream of marital perfection to find her prince charming has warts! It becomes evident that love is not enough to maintain this dream marriage. So, what does she do? She sets out to change him and mold him into the man SHE wants him to be, the one who will meet all her needs, love and cherish her, and be at her beck and call. After all, wasn't HE supposed to make HER happy? Well-----actually----NO!!! He wasn't supposed to make her happy nor was she supposed to make him happy. NO human being can fulfill her and meet all her needs other than God. Most of us enter marriage with the wrong motives---it's all about ME! The truth is marriage is to be a reflection of God's glory and to bring HIM glory.

You may be wondering why I am talking about marriage in a blog about raising kids. It is because the best securtiy blanket and healthy environment we can give our kids is one in which they know that mommy and daddy love God first, each other second, and them third. It is extremely important to put your kids high on the list of priorities of your life, but they must not come before your relationship with God and your spouse. When we put our kids first in the family, we create spoiled, insecure kids because the order is OUT of order. When the kids are placed above any one of these---God, wife, husband----then the marriage, kids, and family will suffer. Some parents put more effort into their relationship with their kids than they do their marriage because they feel they have such a short time with the kids and they want to do all they can with them while they are still at home. This will set the stage for rotten, self-centered kids and realizing, after only the two of you occupy a once child-centered home, that you don't "know" one another and the one thing that held you together is now gone.

Today serves as an introduction to the messages on marriage. I would ask you to diligently ask God to prepare your heart and mind to hear and receive what He wants you to reap from this part of our journey in successful parenting. Before we meet again in the blog world, please prayerfully read the following passages from God's Word: Genesis 2:18 & 21-25; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:6.
See you soon and may God make His face to shine upon you today, and give you peace!