Family: love and discipline
Exodus 20:12 “Honor thy Father and Mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
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 a promise, “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Psalm 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
I just celebrated another birthday, and enjoyed the warm blessings of my friends calling, texting and facebook-ing best wishes. I also had the pleasure of having my family with me. There were six other adults (my three children and their spouses) and seven grandkids.
But I am blessed—those grandchildren are inquisitive, healthy, and follow the rules and mandates laid down for them. They are polite, curious, and loving to siblings, cousins, and adults. Those youngsters are also curious and respectful to my cats and dog. I don’t have to worry they will hurt or be too rough with my pets. They respect the fact that these pets give love and enjoyment. They appreciate them. And while the youngest pushes the time constraint one of the cats can tolerate, he learned with one quick minor scratch not to push the cat’s limits. He learned he had to respect another creature.
There have been no arguments, no bullying, no significant whining (fairly impressive since the youngest is 5 years old). We share meals, good times spent at the beach, and each other. I am so happy to have my family with me for this birthday celebration, to enjoy the grandchildren being together as well as seeing my three children and their mates enjoying one another—laughing, playing beach games and interacting with the children, then returning and handling most of the meals.
I have so much to be grateful for and I am. I know there are families who quarrel at each gathering. There are some families which seem to have no or few rules for the children—this leads to bickering and fighting, and all sorts of misbehavior, and generally children few want to be around.
It was a frequent topic between my husband and myself as the kids were growing up to wonder if we were making mistakes, what moves should we do to punish yet not squash enthusiasm, and, are we on top of things, etc. The concerns were constantly present although not overwhelming. We wanted to oversee their development so they would grow into independent, loving, happy, and God fearing people. And we were successful. Thank You, God.
I don’t have that worry with my family of the bickering and arguing and not getting along. We appreciate being together, and although we are only together for a week in the summer –two of my children live several states away, we recognize the blessing it is to spend this time together as one large family, instead of three separate families merging at “Grammy’s.” They each appreciate one another, the pleasure of spending a good chunk of time together, and liberally show me they learned and are passing on the family values we tried to instill in them.
My grandchildren know and respect the rules; being polite to others, no fighting or bickering, and best of all showing others love. Certainly God has blessed me and mine. Thank You for all these family blessings of mybellaviews
My wonderful family is one of my best blessings enjoyed by ‘mybellaviews.’
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