How Do Traditions Teach?

Taken from Chapter 4 of Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper.

"We are always teaching our children, whether we mean to or not. Our children come to believe, probably unconsciously, that whatever is repeated regularly has significance. It was God's design that learning happen by frequent and regular repetition. That kind of learning was part of what he had in mind when he told his people to teach the children his words, 'talking to them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise' (Deuteronomy 11:19) - note how frequently and regularly.

One indication of God's wisdom in this command is that when our activities are filled with God, we have to be thinking about God; so our nomal activities are helping us fulfill God's command to "lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul" (Deuteronomy 11:18). Another sign of God's wisdom is that, with enough repetition, the very activities, no matter how mundane they are, will trigger thoughts of God in our minds..."

"In order to 'teach [God's words] to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise' (Deuteronomy 11:19), you have to be planning - planning what to say and where, how, and when to say it...

All of us are training our children both intentionally and unintentionally. We need to make sure we aren't leaving the important things to happenstance. We know it's crucial that they become familiar with God, our Heirloom and our only hope for real life. We yearn for them to love and trust and follow Christ. It would be foolish just to wait for them to learn that by chance. We must plan to reflect God and teach about Christ in the repeated event of our lives."

"How can I pass that treasure on to my children...?
- He writes poems and psalms so others can read and be drawn into his praise and love and reverence for God.
- He praises God continually, all day long (vv.6, 8).
- He acknowledges God's protection (v.7).
- He prays for God's strength and care in the unknown future, basing his request on the kind of things God has done before (vv.9-15).
- He hopes continually in God, which causes his praise to keep increasing (v.14).
- He talks about what God has done and expresses his own awe (vv.15, 19).
- He reminds others of God's righteousness, helping them remember what God has done in their lives (vv.16, 19).
- He trusts that God will be the same through his whole life (v.17).
- He prays for God's presence and power in his old age so that he can keep on showing God to the next generation (v.18)."

Psalm 71 (NIV)
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.

2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me.

3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.

6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.

7 I have become like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.

9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.

11 They say, "God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him."

12 Be not far from me, O God;
come quickly, O my God, to help me.

13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14 But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.

16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

19 Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?

20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.

21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.

22 I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.

24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.

What We Should Teach Our Children and Why...

Taken from Chapter 3 of Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper.

1. The glorious deeds of the Lord (Psalm 78:4)—what God has done in our lives.
2. The might of God (Psalm 78:4)—the nature of God.
3. The wonders God has done (Psalm 78:4)—what God has done in history.
4. The testimony and law of God (Psalm 78:5)—how God wants us to live.

1. That they [our children and grandchildren and great- . . . ] should set their
hope in God (Psalm 78:7)—our deepest desire for our children and their children,
2. and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7)—the basis of their trust,
3. but keep his commandments (Psalm 78:7)—the life they will live because of their trust
in God.

Psalm 78:1-7 (NIV)
1 O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old-

3 what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,

6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.

Having a Blessed Day!

Today has been such a blessed day. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened except that I haven't had to discipline DearDaughter1 once yet nor have I raised my voice.

Yesterday was a rough day...One where I was really stressed and lost all sort of patience with DearDaughter1 and the poor thing received the brunt of my impatience and frustration.

So, this morning, thanks to DearFriend Trish, whom I was responding to this morning, I continued to think of the treasures that are truly hidden in my heart and the Treasure that should be in it. It's a hard reality being faced with how truly selfish I am, but praise God that by the unfaithful responses I've been having through stress and the ungodly actions I've been making towards DearDaughter1, He brings me to this point of reality so that I face the facts that my Treasure hasn't been on heavenly things, but on earthly things.

Do I really want my children to find a clean house, appointments, and tasks more important over glorifying and enjoying our wondrous and glorious God? No. I want my children to find me glorifying and enjoying God integrated with every part of my life, even the mundane stuff like house cleaning, making appointments, and doing everyday and ordinary tasks. Yet, by grudgingly doing these things, as displayed by my anger and frustration and impatience, I have not been displaying the joy that I should have because God is with me.

As I realized this, I realized just how much I have not depended on God's grace and power to help me.

So, this morning, I thought and considered how it is I should bring all my everyday tasks under God's authority and the only way I could think of was by prayer.

With every task the girls and I have gone through this day, we have just said a short prayer:
"Thank you God for our food. In Jesus' name. Amen."
"Thank you God for this day. Be with us and help us with your strength. In Jesus' name. Amen."
"Thank you God for our toys. Help us to share and enjoy your blessings. In Jesus' name. Amen."
"Thank you God for rest. Help us find rest to be ready to serve you. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Perhaps this sounds a little on the extreme side, but with just a little prayer, my heart, today have turned back to remembering who our Treasure is. The neat thing is that I found DearDaughter1 asking DearDaughter2 to pray while they were in the corner enjoying one another. DearDaughter1 sat in front of DearDaughter2 and she said "Baby, pray...Baby, pray..." So I walked over and showed DearDaughter1 how she ought to help baby put her hands together and just say "Thank you God. Amen." Then, I told DearDaughter1 that once she was done praying she could enjoy the blessings of toys that God gave them.

I cannot express the true joy that I feel in my heart right now. It is truly a peace that I haven't felt in a long time. In the mean time, I've been able to do some laundry and prepare dinner without feeling stressed or angry. I've been trying to remember that I do these things because I love my family, not because it's just another chore on my to do list. Thank you Lord, for this blessed day.

My next desire is to really work on hiding God's Word in my heart so that when my girls wake up, lay down, sit, stand, or walk, I am able to share with them the wonderful story of how God sacrificed His beloved son so that we may become children of God.

What's Being Passed on to the Next Generation?

I just started reading Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper and I am excited about this book!

DearHubby has been working so hard that a lot of the childcare and household responsibilities have fallen on my shoulders. DearHubby has great confidence in me and trusts that I am able to carry this load. We've talked about our desires for our children, which is to bring them up in the ways of the Lord, but we've never really discussed the details as to how we ought to do that. In the past, I've nagged DearHubby about his role as our family's spiritual leader. I used to have expectations of what that spiritual leader looks like and one of them is leading me and the children in a family worship time. I know that DearHubby desires these things, but I also know that he's burdened with the responsibility to uphold our family's financial needs too. We are reminded of the sparrows and the lilies of the field and how God takes care of them and because we mean so much more to God then how much more He will take care of us. And though I know that DearHubby fully trusts the Lord with our financial issues, I understand that there is a burden of responsibility that he carries to make sure that he's providing enough for his family. In addition to our financial needs, DearHubby has been burdened with the task to renovate our home so that we have a roof to provide over our children's heads. Therefore, though it's been a difficult task for me to reach this point, I've finally accepted the fact that, for now, I am the one who will be mostly influencing our children about the way they see the world.

Anyway, so, DearHubby and I have discussed our desires to raise our children in God's ways, yet I often lose sight of this goal because the task of just surviving through the day often blurs my vision. The girls' diapers need to be changed, DearDaughter1 is being disobedient again, DearDaughter2 needs a feeding, the girls need a bath, do their toenails and fingernails need a trim, what's for dinner tonight, a load of laundry needs to get in the washer, the dishes need to be washed, the toilets and bathtub need cleaning, the trash needs to be taken out, do we have enough money for groceries this week, can we afford to buy the girls clothes, and the list goes on...This long but necessary list of things to do often causes me to forget my main goal and desire for my children, which is to know and love God.

So, I am excited for Noel Piper's book because already in the first chapter, she reminds us mommies that the traditions we have in our family displays the "Treasure of our lives." Then, at the end of the chapter, a few challenging questions are asked to help remind mommies what should be the driving force of our actions:
• What is my greatest treasure? What is most precious to me?
• How do I reflect and express that treasure in my life?
• How can I pass that treasure on to my children and others within my circle?

I truly appreciate these questions because it helps challenge me to think about what is most precious to me. Why is this list of things on my mind? Is it really important that those things get done? What drives me to get these things done? Are the chores the end itself or is there a greater reason? These questions have already caused me to realize that there is a greater reason. This list of things should be the outward workings of my love for God which in turn causes me to have love for my husband and my children. That is what ought to be displayed to them as I work. When I grow angry because something is not getting done or when I get frustrated and am unkind to my family, what I am reflecting and expressing is that this list of things to do is far more important to me than the true care that I have for my husband and children. That is a huge reality check for me! Is God truly my treasure or have I made my list of things to do my treasure and is that really what I want to pass on to my children? I thought God was most precious to me, but these questions truly helped shed light on what's really hidden in my heart.

Therefore, I am excited to read the rest of this book, excited to see how the Piper's treasure was displayed to the circle of people about them, particularly to their children, and be encouraged to pass on this great treasure to our girls too.