Observing Lent as a Family

Since today is Ash Wednesday, I made a comment on Facebook about giving stuff up for Lent, not really having settled yet on what I wanted to give up this year. A MOPS friend, knowing that I come from a church background that loves its liturgical seasons and traditions, asked if we were participating as a family and if we could give any pointers for her to use with her own young children.

I had to stop and think about that because although my husband and I each give something up for Lent each year, we generally undertake the decision of what to give up as a private matter and don't really discuss it until after the decision is made when we ask for mutual support. The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense to make this a family affair. If we observe Advent as a family, why should we wait to include them in Lent?

Our children attend Lutheran school where they had participated in an Ash Wednesday service already this morning, so it was pretty easy to start the conversation. At 4 and 6, they weren't too clear on the details, but Mugger did pick up that the ashes were to remind us that we were sinful and to show God that we were sorry. We told them that during the 40 days of Lent some people give up something that can be a temptation for them (like too much coffee or too much Facebooking) to remind them of how Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days. Every time we are tempted towards whatever we gave up, we can remember how Jesus was tempted and ask Him for help in resisting the temptation. And every time we fail to resist the temptation, we can be thankful that Jesus was able to resist for our sakes and ask Him to restore us.

Once they understood that, we asked them if they had any ideas for what they could give up. Bug immediately said she wanted to give up being naughty -- oh, that it were that easy! We told them we wanted to come up with something more specific and if it could be the same thing for all of us, we would be able to help each other with loving correction.

So what did we come up with? Picking a specific example of naughtiness, we decided we wanted to give up screaming at each other for Lent. The kiddos tend to use screaming in disrespect at the start of a tantrum (usually when we tell them something the opposite of what they wanted) and we tend to use screaming when we're at our wits' end with frustration over their disobedience. To help each other, we agreed that if we're in a situation where it seems like screaming is about to happen, one of us may gently say, "No screaming for Lent."

So, Mindy, there's your answer, at least that's how we're doing it in our house. I also like to add something in when we're working on taking something out, so we're renewing our efforts at nightly family devotions and talking about beginning deliberate Bible verse memorization with our kiddos.

If you know me in real life, feel free to hold me accountable and ask me how it's going :) And if anyone has some resources for Scripture-memorization with kiddos, feel free to share them. Tonight we opened up a CD/DVD combo entitled "Hide 'Em in Your Heart" that we received awhile back, but the video is very dated -- it's a great lesson on '80s fashion, actually. I do love the concept, though, of putting Bible verses to music to aid memorization, so feel free to comment with any resources that have worked for you.

Wisdom from a 4-Year Old...

So Mugger's reading tonight in his children's Bible was the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Afterwards I said to him, "So is Mama a little bit too much like Martha sometimes with all my chores and work?" Yeah. "Should I try to be more like Mary and make more time for my family and the other things Jesus would want?" Yeah.

And then, after a Thoughtful Pause, "Mama, I think we should read this story every night to help you remember."

Lord, help me to be a Mary in this Martha world I've built for myself out of to-do lists! It's not about the to-do's, it's about the to-love's! Mugger and Bug will be grown and gone before I know it...

Moms for Modesty

So if you've read this post (or this one or this one), then you probably already know that how I dress my daughter is a big issue for me. Being that she's only 2, I don't usually have to worry about her clothing being too revealing (yet), but I do take issue with all the "Princess" and other self-important slogans that seem to be everywhere on kids' t-shirts these days, especially on toddler girls' tees. Given this, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Moms for Modesty Mission Statement today. Here it is:

Moms for Modesty Mission Statement

• As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women.
• I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
• I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
• I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
• I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

I plan on heading over to sign it as soon as I post this. How about you? And if you have any great retailers who match Statement 5, I'd love to hear about them. So far my approach has been to frequent the usual retailers and just be very choosy about what I buy, but if there are retailers who have made this their specific mission, I'd love to support them with my dollars.

Earth Day Every Day

Well, it's April 1st and turning the page on the calendar has my son asking what holiday we celebrate this month. All I can tell him is "Earth Day is April 22nd." So is it on your calendar? Has “going green” become a way of life for you? I must confess, I’m more successful in some areas than others. I’m certainly no “earth mama,” but I recycle and conserve energy where I can and I drink water from my refillable metal bottle instead of buying plastic ones. But I don’t usually buy organic food and I almost always forget to take my cloth bags with me into the grocery store, so I know there’s progress to be made.

To be honest, I have some difficulties with environmentalism, as it often seems to be just another political controversy with each side using shaky science to support its claims. Along with that, there’s the whole Mother Earth idea, which doesn’t exactly give the proper place to God the Father. And finally, sometimes not buying organic is just a matter of cost—yes, I want my family to be as healthy as possible, but organic produce is usually way more expensive.

So what is my motivation for going green? It can be hard for me to describe. For example, one reason I clean with lots of vinegar is because it’s cheaper than all those chemicals, so sometimes frugality is a motive besides the health of my family. Yet it’s not just my family’s health I’m concerned with. For me, there is also the issue of limited resources. I know that the resources that God has placed on this planet are not placed here in unlimited supply, so I want to make sure that the amount I’m using up on this planet is as small as possible.

The answer for me comes in Psalm 24:1, “The earth and everything on it belong to the LORD. The world and its people belong to him.” When it comes to going green, the motivation is now much simpler: I’m using resources on loan from God. It all boils down to stewardship. If I am a good steward of God’s gifts of health and this earth, then my green decisions have much more than politics or science behind them.

And when I stop and think about it, the resources that God has given to me are much more than health and our planet. If I really want to go green, then maybe conserving financial resources is a part of it as I resist the urge to be materialistic. On the other hand, I can spend my financial resources to help others and also be a good steward. I can go green with my time by taking time away from my family to be renewed at MOPS or in personal devotions or I can go green by spending time with my family on an outing.

It's all a balancing act, isn't it? But if I remember that every gift comes from God above, then maybe I can go green in all aspects of my life. This Earth Day, I hope to celebrate the fact that this planet is just one of many gifts entrusted to me, on loan from God.