"We didn't do Santa when our kids were little. Now I AM Santa Claus."
This from my cousin-in-law (we love to get into those "now, what are we first cousins once removed, or second cousins?" discussions at family gatherings) who now grows a full, snowy beard in the fall, dons a fabulous Santa suit and charms old and young alike with his winsome banjo-rendition of favorite Christmas carols and HO-HO-Ho-ing.
Why is it, that after a few years of parenting we sometimes find ourselves doing a 180 on issues to which we doggedly adhered in our earlier days? These are some we have heard:
-Our children are only going to play with wooden toys.
-We will NOT use a pacifier.
-Our kids will be potty trained by the time they're two.
-No one gets their ears pierced at our house until they're thirteen,
-We plan to hold off on getting a cell phone for our kids until they are in high school, (or middle school....or until they start school.)
But not to point fingers, here are some of ours:
-We do not watch R-rated movies. (Then came The Passion of the Christ)
-No Halloween candy in your room. (Yeah, well. Oh, you meant pockets,too?)
-We do not play with Barbies (but then, all of our best friends do.)
-Gum day is cleaning day. (Yes,well think about a bunch of little kids with carte blanche gum privileges)
-Our skirts will be "this length"...or that...or wait. Hemlines are always up for debate.
-Our bathing suits will be modest. (Who decides modesty?)
-Recreational dating is not a good thing. ("Oh, we're just friends", echoes more than once.)
-Evangelistic dating is not a good thing. (Ditto above)
-Cell phones (once invented) get parked at the door to preserve table conversation (Now we text down the row at church?)
We watched the generations before us. We were going to get it "right". What happened? As we grow and mature, do we realize more and more the naïveté, pride, and eternal optimism of our youth? Do we cash in and give way to cultural pressure? Do we realize there are more important issues at stake and attempt to not major in the minors? Is it true that times change and there IS a season for everything? Are we just plum tired? Or do we simply give life our best shot, instructing from the integrity our hearts, wearing out our knees in prayer and leaving the results to a sovereign God?
Is it both/and? As we endeavor to nurture households of faith, do we hold to the basic tenants:
"Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16
And, at the same time, do we remain open to new leadings while tenaciously seeking truth:
"Do not call to mind the former things, nor ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new."
Isaiah 43:18
In the end, it is His story. It is God's redemption story written in and through and by and for each of our lives and those of our offspring.
"I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him against the day of Jesus's coming."
II Timothy 1:12
Here I am on a very fun date at the shooting range with my son.
And no........we did not play with guns when he was growing up.
Learning.
Aiming.
Still focused on the goal.
