The Armor of God

We were very active in church throughout the lives of our children.  Awanas, Sunday School, "Big Church", Children's Choir, Vacation Bible School, Bible Drill, and Youth Group.  We loved seeing our children worship and learn about God.  I can remember every single day in each of our babies lives that they asked Jesus into their hearts.  They still bring tears of joy to my eyes!  Each of our children asked us to pray with them at home and it was priceless.   

Proverbs 22:6 promises if you "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."  I wish I could tell you that is where we are at this point in our lives with our 25, 23, and 21 year old.  One of them is faithful in following what we have taught and two are doing their own thing.  

That reality scares me, but there is literally nothing I can do but pray for them each day. I look back & ask, "where did we go wrong?"  "what could I have done better?"  I have many answers to those questions & I think every mom probably would change something. 
But some things you can not change...

 

 

I think often about the difference between how I grew up two decade before my children. Four channels on the television, no computer, a phone attached to the wall, no had held games, no information at your fingertips, no such thing as an "app" to date, or check on movies or order food, and no downloading music!  It all makes me sound so ancient!  

My little brother was the "remote control" for my daddy when he wanted to watch something different, and if you missed what someone said on a show...you missed it!  No rewind, no pause, no recording it without a video tape.  The closest thing to a computer was an electric typewriter and I never saw a computer until my junior year of high school in 1984.  Thankfully, one of our phones was right beside our sliding glass door so I could stretch the cord and get some privacy. (privacy as far as the cord stretched, so like, 4 feet)  My dad loved technology and we had an Atari system on which we played Pong and Frogger.  

When I was a Senior, I only knew about colleges near me or that others had attended.  I recall thinking about The University of Hawaii because we had friends who lived there.  I had to actually write a letter to the Chamber of Commerce in Honolulu to get information on the school.  If I wanted to write a paper, I went to the library and looked in the card catalog for the book, then search the book for the information.  If I liked a boy or he liked me, we spoke to one another face to face.  Weird I know.  When I wanted music I went to the store and bought the entire cassette or CD to get the one song I liked. 

 

I don't think there was a huge difference in how my parents grew compared to my bother and me.  But how my children grew up verses how I did... the differences are massive! If I could go back and do anything different with the raising of my children it would be teaching and "wearing" the armor of God on a daily basis. I mean suiting up for battle!

 

Ephesians 6:10-18a

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions!"

Today, our children do not have an occasional "day" they face evil, it is every moment of every day....at their fingertips!  Evil doesn't just come, it is here at the click of a button.  They are being pushed down with hate, violence, sex, and lies with every step they take.  Unrighteousness pierces their heart daily and all of these things add up to turmoil in their daily lives.  How can they feel faith without doubt, or safety much less salvation with all the fear, how can they hear the Spirit speak to them with all of the noise of satan?  How? 

I should have suited them up.  I should have stood over their beds as they slept and prayed each one of these armor's of God over them every day.  Satan did not take a break! And as hard as we worked, as much as we stayed surrounded by God's church,  as often as we prayed that jerk, satan, was slipping in when we were not looking.  My boys have had more difficulties than my daughter as young adults.  I think boys are just more prone to excitement and feelings of invincibility than girls are...at least in my house.  So, the reality is this:  the world is here.  It is available with a click.  Information is easy.   Patience is not required in today's world for anyone.  They have it rough, and you may disagree, but I believe that is true with all my heart. Easy comes with a price!

I am going to pray for my millennials and for yours:  for armor and for grace.   

This is an interesting article: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/