My boys.
I watch them battling their way through the smallness of youth.
I see them struggle to move past pettiness, to be bigger than the argument at hand:
and they are but 8, 6, and 4.
Made for the fight–made to be brave and strong and true.
Arrows in the hand of a mighty man.

I see the good work as they apply each lesson,
this soil so fertile and ready for planting.
Eyes are always wide–spanning the world around them;
they soak in, they apply, they soak in more.
I witness every blight in season,
and the growth of every planted seed.

I wonder,
if I wish to take pride in this teaching of virtue,
mustn’t I also take thought to the teaching of vice?

What are we putting into our small ones?
These  little men who will conquer, bring change, stand for justice and speak truth.
What is in our home that will lift up their hearts and inspire them to greatness
—to living with values in spite of the times.
When we know that we lead by example……

How do we EQUIP?

How do we MAKE READY?

Jeremiah 1:4-9
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ”
“Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’
You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,”declares the LORD.
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,
“Now, I have put my words in your mouth.”

Let us speak the word of God over our sons,
when they rise up–when they lay down and when they are busy at play.
May His Words be in their mouths and hearts because
THEY HAVE HEARD THEM FROM US.
“Dear Lord,
let us teach by showing that which is Your good and perfect truth
–by setting the example of seeking.
By visibly delving into the joy of being Your child.”

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When we teach our sons of what is worthy—what is immutable and of value,
I know we all give careful attention to the lessons we present.

We read to them The Sermon on the Mount
–condense it down for smaller ears–
to the child-speak of “share”, “help”, and “say you’re sorry”.

We take them to Sunday School and we ooh and ahh
over the sweet little scraps they bring back home.
Pictures of the Messiah on a Donkey,
a finger-painted butterfly with carefully scrawled scripture.

We make the extra effort to guard their hearts from worldly values
—monitoring closely what they watch on television or taking it away entirely;
the better to protect their purity until they can say as Job,
“I have made a covenant with mine eyes.”

The realm of childhood hero’s may be dominated
by the likes of Pokemon and Harry Potter
–and whatever your views on them spiritually might be—
I think we can all agree that there are better role models out there.

But where to seek them?
Where to find that which will entice the mind of the child
while instilling goodness in his heart?

Simply allow your eyes to rest on your own bookshelves—
or those of your local library.

Here are a few of our family picks:

The Chronicles of Narnia–
so much better read aloud and I can never get through any of them
without stopping to have good cry and explain to my children
that their Mum is not an emotional lunatic but rather
–she sees the picture of salvation so clearly spelled out in C.S. Lewis’s words.

(The roar of the resurrected Aslan. Oh!)

The Boxcar Children-
I loved these when I was younger,
and they offer a wonderful picture of sibling devotion;
of selflessly caring for each other even in dire situations.
I’ve often told my children that God knew what kind of friends they needed
–and he made for them the perfect playmates in each other<3

Swiss Family Robinson–
a good swashbuckling tale of family triumph–
of honor and fortitude and PIRATES.
No little boy can resist.

The Five Children and It–
a fairytale setting involving five brothers and sisters
and their encounter with a Sand Fairy.
Written in 1902, this was a favorite of mine
telling of what happens when you have your wishes granted
and it might not be exactly as you thought.

Little House on the Prairie–
no matter that this is about three sisters,
my boys have loved hearing about all of the vast adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family.
(So much so that they’ve been asking for a bull dog named Jack for nearly a year now:)

The Child’s Book of Virtues–
a lovely collection of poetry and fables that deal with the developing of character.
As Einstein once said,
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought,
I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me
than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.”

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew–
another tale of a large family learning virtue,
first published 1881,
this series shows situational values learned as the characters grow up.

The Little Prince–
the tale of a little boy who does the right thing in face of calamity.
Who reveres humility above ease, and the procuring of right–above the getting of favor.
Characters introduced in the story deal with flaws in moral fiber
and The Little Prince’s view of them.
The story is written as a symbolic fairytale that may be particularly touching to older children.

Last but not least:

Little Pilgrims Progress–
a must read….toned down a bit from the original scary parts.
The lyrical quality of this text makes it a lovely bedtime story
with plenty of opportunity to discuss the scriptures that inspired it.

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What are some books that you read to your children?

Helping our sons achieve noble manhood is a weighty task.
Giving them something to aspire to, to emulate,
turns little squires into brave knights.

Alicia from Making Time for Mommy!  Jessica from Muthering Heights! Denise Dykstra from Life with Four Boys!  Congrats ladies! You’ve all won a copy of Wild Things!  Email us at info@themobsociety.com

Willing to Love

Small face upturned, “Is this o.k. Mommy?”

He is wondering on the right from the wrong.

He wants clarity on those beliefs that hold us.

And I’m catching my breath, hand reflexively turned palm-up; heavenward.

I explain it isn’t our job to judge.
But to love.
To remove the plank from our own eyes.

“Mommy, my friend says that he CAN do it though!”

We are now discussing the altercation in question. It is bothering him. I see worry in his eyes.

“Oh son. Your friend has different rules in his family…just because someone else does something…it doesn’t make it o.k.”

Deep in the secret-heart place I’m stumbling over the words.
Wanting to teach him acceptance. To value his friend over their differences.

But I also want to teach him TO FLEE from evil.
The last thing in the world I would ever want to instill in my child is superiority.
The last thing in the world I would ever want to instill in my child is tolerance of sin.

“But, Mama. I love my friend?”
“But, Mama. My friend is a very good friend!”

I feel the weight of explanation–so heavy.
Am I doing it right?
This time its me asking.
“Is this o.k. Father?”

I know that in our making sure we reject no one,
we will inevitably be rejected ourselves.
I can’t protect my son from what his friend might say
when my little one explains that he can’t do what his friend is asking.
If there is cruelty. If there is teasing.

How can I tell my five year old that
even when we are doing the right thing,
being misunderstood WILL come eventually.

And that it can’t matter.

“Oh Mama, I am so glad you see. I was worried that you would say that my friend was bad.
And he isn’t bad…he really isn’t. He may do bad things–but he isn’t bad. Jesus loves him very much.
I know. I just wanted to tell you to pray for him. So he won’t do bad things that make his heart sad anymore.”

Soul-quake.
It shames me that he would think I would disallow his friend due to misconduct.
That I would think his friend “bad” in light of a distasteful action.
Perhaps it is his 5 year old vocabulary–but the magnifying glass is held closer in these conversations.
I SEE THE PLANK.

And so I stumble every day, in character.
In responsiblity.
In LOVE.

In purity.

I wonder at Him sending me these perfect slate/children to write upon when I am so lacking.
But He has given me whitest chalk, and He guides my hand with each firm stroke.
Preparing the arrows.

“My sweet darling, that is exactly what Jesus wants us to do. We will pray and you will love your friend just like He does.”

We don’t love to be loved.
We love as our calling.
We don’t turn from evil because it is easy.
We step higher because He beckons.

The separating myself from the sin of life and yet fully embracing humanity is the greatest lesson I will ever learn.
It is the most important thing I will ever teach.

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