A woman came to her and said, “There is so much talk about moms staying home, but is it wrong that I really like to be out in the community with my children?”
Without hesitation my friend answered, “If you are going out into
the community to serve, then that is wonderful. Your children will benefit from going to help Grandma weed her garden or seeing you fix and take a meal to a new mom. BUT, if you’re going for your own pleasure, because you get bored at home, then that is just wrong.”
Okay, don’t slam your computer shut yet, the point is not that we
can never go, never have fun; but if going and having fun has become the everyday way of life, then what is really important, training, is getting lost.
For example, this young mom mentioned above has preschoolers,
prime training time. Training does not happen when we are out running around. Running around is a way to quickly mark days off the calendar, but it is not a good way to be purposeful in teaching and guiding of children.
If consistency in training is one of the most important things, and I am convinced it is, then running from event to event is not good training. The majority of training should take place in the home. This requires time and effort. When we are consistent in our home, then there will be very little need for public correction. Without that home time for training, we are attempting to raise good children by entertaining them into good behavior. That doesn’t work.
God has not called us to entertain our children, rather to train
our children in the way they should go.