The Beatitudes: Blessed Are The Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Brandon and I have always planned on homeschooling our boys. But they're only 2 and 3 years old and I haven't begun to stress about what that really means for my sanity yet. So when I write about our homeschooling experience in 2 to 3 more years I may be singing a different tune. Lord willin' and a whole lot of prayer I believe, will make it an amazing journey though. For now, our oldest is in a pre-school program that meets twice a week, for a total of 3 hours. He is getting used to the idea of school and how to sit still and pay attention, as well as learning and making friends. His teacher is a family friend and there are only 8 other 3 and 4 year olds in his class. Next year, our youngest will join him. We feel like this is a safe environment and have been so happy with his experience thus far.

One of the biggest reasons we had decided not to send them to public school was the fear of what they would be exposed to and how they would be treated. Some may consider sheltering their children a bad thing, they may believe that learning from the school of hard knocks is just a way of life. But we disagree. Sheltering our boys is our job as parents. Teaching them about Christ is our number 1 priority and if it doesn't line up with the Word of God, then they don't need to see it, hear it, read it, say it, or know it. I want my boys to be so saturated in Jesus Christ that when a mosquito bites them, it flies away singing "There's power in the blood!" 

I realize that this is an unpopular opinion, that there are those that believe homeschooling is archaic, that my boys will have the social skills of cavemen and be uneducated rednecks. And I hate to tell them that I have 2 of the most rough and tumble, wild and rowdy boys around and I don't really expect them to walk upright or do more than grunt until the Holy Ghost gets ahold of them. I'm kidding of course. Well, kind of. But if this were true and my choices were to have knuckle dragging, club wielding, one grunt for "no", two grunts for "yes" sons and sons that had been exposed to foul language, sex, violence, false doctrine, immorality, and bullying all by the time they finished kindergarten, can you guess which sons I'd choose? 

The fact of the matter is that the world is and always has been hostile to Christians. We are cautioned and reminded that we are not of the world, only in the world. I want my boys to be rooted and grounded in their faith before I send them out on their own into a world that hates them simply because they serve Christ as Master and Savior. 

To be truthful and 100% honest, it is our fear of persecution that has lead us to a homeschooling decision. To persecute only means to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religion, race, or beliefs; harass persistently, to annoy or trouble persistently. We have probably all faced that at one time or another in our spiritual lives, either by Satan or people we know at work, at school, or perhaps like Brandon and I, by relatives. And of course where you were in your relationship with the Father at the time of your persecution, greatly influenced the outcome. And it is this that we worry about as parents. Our boys have not accepted Christ as their Savior yet. They are under the age of accountability and thus innocent. It is now, while their innocence remains that we fill their lives with Jesus, so that when the Holy Ghost does beckon them, they will want to accept Him. Because if faced with spiritual persecution by their peers or adults in positions of authority before they have accepted Christ into their hearts, the damage could be spiritually fatal.

The persecution I have faced as a Christian is trivial compared to what the apostles suffered, those who were martyred for their beliefs in Christ, and what Christ Himself suffered for you and I. But I could be self-righteous and boastful and tell you that I could withstand being tortured, beaten, burned alive, beheaded or crucified for Christ's sake. I could. But I'd be lying. I can truthfully say though, that I want with all that I am to be able to if ever faced with that situation. I want to be able to withstand, having done ALL to stand for my Savior. And I know that to do that I must continue to grow spiritually. I must read and study and worship and praise my God continually in preparation of a day such as that. 

And I must prepare my boys. And I must let nothing stand in the way of that. God has blessed our family with the ability for me to be a stay at home Momma and I believe I need to take advantage of that and use my time to instill godly principles in my children. I know well that not every family is in the same set of circumstances that we are. This post is not meant to belittle any family that sends their children to public schools. But it is meant to say that we must prepare our children for the persecution they will face in the world for their beliefs. We have to teach our children what it means to be unashamed of our Savior. We have to teach them with our words and with our actions. One without the other is not enough because in a world such as we live in, persecution is inevitable. 

2 Timothy 3:12 
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

I pray to God that it never happens, but were it to, I want my boys to stand mightily as Stephen did. 

Acts 7:55-56
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

He kept his eyes on God and His Son and he met them in Their Kingdom.

The Beatitudes: Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 KJV
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

I have struggled with writing this post this week. To be honest I have been at a loss for words. My family is in a situation right now that has shocked us to the core. We are reeling and grasping for a solution. And in the midst of a situation like the one we're in, dealing with inheritance and legacy, our true colors come out. We learn things about ourselves and our family that we didn't know before, or didn't want to see. It is in times like these, when money and greed pit one side of the family against another, that we need a peacemaker the most. 

Unfortunately in situations like ours, it is hard to see a solution that will be accepted by both sides and make everyone happy. Inevitably someone will feel slighted, someone will feel betrayed, someone will feel martyred, someone will feel blamed, but everyone will be hurt.

We can see it happening before our very eyes but are powerless to stop it. Things will be said and done that cannot be taken back. Lines will be drawn and crossed. Bridges burned. 

Where can we find a peacemaker in a situation such as ours? A mediator? An interceder?  I can think of only One who could ever do justice to our plight. Only One who could treat both sides with equal love, who would have only selfless motivation, who would protect the innocent, the weak, and the frail. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He is the Peacemaker, the Mediator, the Interceder. 

Only He can melt a cold and hardened heart. Only He can calm the storm raging in a family being torn apart by greed and selfishness. Only He can mend the bond between loved ones that is fast unraveling.

What is important for us to remember is that we worship a God we cannot exaggerate. What seems a hopeless situation to me right now, is nothing compared to what He has delivered His people from for thousands of years. My God created the sun and moon, parted the Red Sea, rose from the dead and defeated death, hell and the grave, and He can do this little thing for me. If I remain true and faithful, He will make peace in my family for He is my Peacemaker and I am His child.

Didn’t I Walk On The Water

As I kneel in the darkness in the middle of the night

I’m praying for assurance everything’s gonna be alright

Lord I see another battle out in front of me

I’m afraid I won’t be able and I’ll go down in defeat

And He said,

Didn’t  I walk on the water, Didn’t  I calm the raging sea

Didn’t I speak to the wind, it hushed and I gave you peace

Didn’t I run to your rescue, didn’t I hear you when you called

Didn’t I walk right beside you just so you wouldn’t fall

Didn’t I leave all of Heaven just to die for your sin

Didn’t I search until I found you and I’d do it all again

He said, do you remember where I brought you from

Just take a look behind you at how far you’ve come

And everytime you asked me, didn’t I deliver you

So why would you be thinking that I wouldn’t see you through

And He said,

Didn’t  I walk on the water, Didn’t  I calm the raging sea

Didn’t I speak to the wind, it hushed and I gave you peace

Didn’t I run to your rescue, didn’t I hear you when you called

Didn’t I walk right beside you just so you wouldn’t fall

Didn’t I leave all of Heaven just to die for your sin

Didn’t I search until I found you and I’d do it all again

Now she’s talking to her father in a house that was once a home

She said my bills are coming due Lord and six days is not that long

She hears a voice so still and low

It says I’ve moved like that before

And I’ll do this little thing and I’ll give you so much more

And He said,

Didn’t  I walk on the water, Didn’t  I calm the raging sea

Didn’t I speak to the wind, it hushed and I gave you peace

Didn’t I run to your rescue, didn’t I hear you when you called

Didn’t I walk right beside you just so you wouldn’t fall

Didn’t I leave all of Heaven just to die for your sin

Didn’t I search until I found you and I’d do it all again

The Beatitudes: Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Matthew 5:8 KJV

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

I have had the blessing of knowing many special people in my life including my family. People who are utterly selfless and full of love. People who have celebrated the momentous occasions in my life with me.  People who prayed for me, held me, and cried with me as I lost each of my 3 babies.  People who love my sons abundantly and have become their family. But perhaps the most special people in my life are those who serve others out of love, people who are truly pure in heart. 

I don't think I have ever been more thankful for these wonderful people in my life than I am at this very moment. 

You see, I just read an article  about a mother, and I use that word loosely, who has spent the last 47 years caring for her son who has Down Syndrome. 47 years that she has spent every single day of wishing she had aborted him. She claims she has spent those 47 years loving and caring for him and yet openly admits of 2 other instances, aside from abortion, when she either nearly did, or wished she had, ended his life.

She claims that her son, Stephen, has completely reeked havoc, devastation, and unhappiness on her life. That had he been aborted, she'd have gone on to have another child to complete her perfect family. That although, Stephen has brought many magical moments to her life, she'd trade every single one for a son without Down Syndrome. 

How a Momma could ever utter those chilling and heart shattering words I absolutely do not understand. I would trade my very own life, just to have my Lachlan back for a single day. Just to see him open his eyes and look at me. Just to see him smile at me. Just to hear him laugh and call me Momma. I would trade it all just to see him play with his brothers, to hug them, to kiss them, to know their love as I do. But praise God I know I don't have to! I know that one day my Savior will call us home and there my babies will be, together at last. In heaven Lachlan can see every beautiful shade of the scarlet blood my Savior shed for me. In heaven Lachlan can hear the heavenly host proclaiming "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY." In heaven Lachlan can touch the nail scarred hands that saved my soul. In heaven Lachlan can whisper "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, the sweetest name I know." 

I know with every fiber of my being that although the chances are very high that if Lachlan had lived to be born here on earth where he'd have been deaf, blind, mute, and mentally handicapped, that I would have loved him anyway. I would have given every ounce of strength I had to care for him, to protect him.

And unlike this woman who wishes her son had never been born, I would have made sure that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was thankful for him, that I cherished him, that I adored him.

She claims that only a parent who has known her struggle could understand. She even pleads with women who know they are carrying a baby with Down Syndrome to abort. 

And I say this, you haven't known the extraordinary people that I have.  The people who do it every day. The people who willingly welcome unwanted children like Stephen into their families to give them round the clock care and love. The people who sit up days and nights upon end to take care of dying parents out of love. The people who, having raised their own children, adopt their grandchildren, to give them a safe, loving and Godly home. People who struggle as single parents, sacrificing for their children. People who take on the role of step-parent and love their spouse's children as their own. People who take time out of their hectic lives to visit with their grandparents just to make them smile. People who drop everything at a moment's notice, bake a casserole and rush to a friend's side in a time of need. People who will simply sit and hold you as your world falls to pieces. People who above all, love the Lord and love you because you're one of His.

The people who are pure in heart and will surely see God.