Before my children learned how to drive, they were a captive audience.
Because they were very active in sports and ballet and cheerleading and church and drum lessons and the sort, we spent A LOT of time in the car! Lot and Lots of time!
There they were, safely strapped into the back seat ... a captive audience. We talked about everything under the sun and I imparted my very best wisdom to them from the driver's seat...
I loved even the thought of a long drive with my kids. We would talk and laugh and sing and pray and connect and learn and have some pretty deep conversations!
We did not shy away from tough conversations, we encouraged them. We always felt, as parents, we wanted our children to hear a true and wise and biblical view on every topic before the outside world screamed in their precious ears!
The sensitive topic of the birds and the bees was no exception! I don't every remember having "THE TALK" with our kiddos... it was more of an ongoing conversation from the time they were very little. It was natural. When our children asked, and boy did they ask, we would answer and have the most marvelous Godly conversations!
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Right now I am teaching the book of Daniel.
Daniel was a young Jewish lad. He lived during a horrific time in Israel's history. A time when the Babylonian empire destroyed the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. Daniel was captured at the age of about 15 and ripped from his family. He was taken away to live in the land of his captors and as far as it is known, never returned to his beloved home.
Unspeakable things happened to Daniel!
He lost his home, his family, his name, his country, his religious practices, his place of worship, his culture, his language, his friends and was probably castrated... make a unick at the age of 15!
But Daniel not only survived all that trauma... he thrived... and did so well that he was promoted and loved by many kings! He thrived by never giving into the religion of the Babylonians... he thrived by being faithful to God and God's ways in an idol worshiping debased society!
At times Daniel's faith caused him big problems! Life threatening problems... like being thrown into a lion's den. And he faced them never turning away from God... but clinging onto Him all the more!
God was with Daniel! And Daniel knew exactly where his strength, protection and eternal well being came from. Daniel remained faithful to God through all the bad, terrible times and all the good, as well!
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I remember one particular car ride. I had picked up my daughter and son after school ready to chauffeur them to some activity. There they were, safely strapped in and a captive audience.
Although I can't remember how the conversation started, I certainly remember the topic! One of my 7th grader's classmates was having sex.
So sad, but a perfect opening for a discussion with my captive audience! We talked at length about "girls have sex for love and boys love to have sex". We talked about hormones and heady feelings and reputations and regrets.
And we talked about "THE LINE"! I would talk about "THE LINE" a thousand times to my kids, even and especially, when they were no longer a captive audience.
I said to my kids, who were intently listening, that the time to decide to have sex was not when they were in the back seat of a car with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Because when they were in that situation they had already made a fatally bad decision and probably crossed quite a few LINES!
I told them the time to decide was now... way before those situations happened to them. I told them to think about where they were going to draw "THE LINE"... a LINE they would never cross... no matter what!
I asked them to think about were God would draw that line. We talked about how God's line and their line should be the same... I told them, where God draws a line they should draw their line on top of His with INDELIBLE MARKER!
After dropping my children off at their activities, I sat in the parking lot and prayed!
I prayed for my children and "THE LINES" they would draw in their lives!
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In chapter 1 of Daniel our bible study met him already a captive of Babylon, taken into the a three year long brainwashing program. Here he was facing a trial. One of many he would face in his long lifetime!
And how did Daniel face this trial and every other situation in his life?
DANIEL MADE UP HIS MIND NOT TO DEFILE HIMSELF...
Daniel 1:8
Daniel had drawn a LINE too! A LINE that was God's LINE. A line that, if crossed, would cause defilement.
"THE LINES" Daniel drew kept Him in God's will his whole life.
I love the bible version that says...
DANIEL PURPOSED IN HIS HEART NOT TO POLLUTE HIMSELF
In the day's of Daniel the mind, the will, the intellect and the emotions were all called the heart.
So, Daniel placed BOUNDARY LINES in his mind, will, intellect and emotions. Pretty awesome!
I think young Daniel has a very big lesson for us all... no matter what our age!
We all need to think about THE LINES we draw in our lives! Lines not to defile or pollute ourselves!
Today, I'm asking you to take a good look at your LINES. Where are they? Do some need to be reset or drawn for the first time? Do you even know where God's LINES are drawn?
God is very clear about our abundant freedom and sin in His Word. First, we need to read and and determine to obey God's Word!
Be like children... a captive audience by the Word of God... ready to love God's word and align your life to it! We all look for the boundary LINES in life. Find out where the real one's are...
and draw YOUR LINES in INDELIBLE MARKER over them!
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