Confession Is Such a Relief

Funny moment tonight with my two oldest boys. Over the last few weeks they’ve been collecting more & more of “those cards” from their friends that they know Katie & I don’t like. (If you have elementary age kids and take the time to look into some of these cards you quickly realize they promote wizardry, the occult, & just plain old weird stuff).

I hadn’t paid too much attention to them but last night I took the time to look through their stash & pull out the weird cards. Then I googled a few of the names & quickly discovered that the cards definitely didn’t promote what I want to be building into my young men!

Tonight I had a strategy to do an even trade, “sports cards” for “weird cards.”  I stopped by Wal-Mart on my way home from work & picked up a stash of NFL cards. I don’t want my kids to think I’m just a “party-pooper” or don’t want them having fun. But I want to teach them to make wise decisions as well & to follow Jesus even at a young age.

I didn’t have much confidence that the trade off would go well, but i thought i was being pretty gracious knowing I could have just chunked the weird cards & given them nothing in return.

When I asked them what they thought, my oldest (who is 9 years old) said, “wow that’s such a relief.” He instantly pulled out a new stash of cards i didn’t even know about & handed them over. Both boys were giggly with excitement as they looked at their new cards & talked about how good it felt to be rid of the old weird cards. Then they both instantly started talking about different aspects of their old cards that they knew were bad.

I was amazed to see just how much of an impact “confession” had on them. They were physically moved & relieved to hand over their “illegal paraphernalia.”  We spent the next few minutes talking about friends who were not making good decisions – my boys are leading the discussion.  I was amazed to see how their hearts were moved by choosing what was right – moving away from darkness & toward the light.

You might think I’m making too big of a deal out of just cards, but if you had been there you would see that it was a spiritual moment for them.  We ended the night with prayer.  I prayed that my oldest son would have the courage to stand up & defend his friends when bullies call them “retarded.”  I prayed that they would have “tender hearts” & “thick skin.”

We ended the night & they asked if I could put on some music.  When I mellow out I’m a big Fernando Ortega fan (I know I’m just an old man).  I put on one of his slow albums & they loved it.  I’m thankful that my boys enjoy hymns & positive songs that bring glory to God & tell of His wondrous love for us.

Parents, be reminded, you have no idea what effect for the long haul you are having on your kids when you take the time to lead them in the truth.  It’s not always easy, and it takes time, but I have this hunch that the rewards are extraordinary!

In fact it’s more than a hunch – it comes from experience.  See my mom & dad took lots of time to invest in me.  My mom quit teaching college to come home & teach me the Bible & to lead & guide me.  My dad taught me God’s word through both word & action.  I’m thankful for a Godly heritage.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I only hope I’m doing half the job at raising my kids with the Lord’s help that my parents did.

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~ by braddunlap on November 9, 2010.