2021-07-06
Spreuke 1:10 NLV
Jy sal nooit ‘n belangriker werk as dié van ouerskap hê nie. Solank as wat jou kinders onder jou dak is, is jy teenoor God verantwoordelik vir hulle. Met dit in gedagte, doen die volgende: 1) Kyk wie jou kind die meeste beïnvloed. Jou seun of dogter sal om verskeie redes na sekere kinders aangetrek word. Hulle stuur vir hulle boodskappe, praat met hulle oor die foon, nooi hulle na die huis toe, sit by hulle in die kerk, ensovoorts. Jy kan nie elke verhouding wat jou kind het monitor nie, maar jy moet weet wie diegene is wat hulle die meeste beïnvloed.
2) Leer hulle naaste vriende ken. Let op die manier wat hulle praat, aantrek, respek bewys en hoe hulle met jou familie speel en reageer. Moenie bang wees om hulle oor hulle ouers, die kerk wat hulle bywoon en, indien hulle oud genoeg is, hulle verhouding met Christus, uit te vra nie.
3) Gaan jou kind se oornagverblyf na. As jou seun of dogter na ‘n vriend se huis uitgenooi word, praat met die ouers en word van enige aktiwiteite wat dalk buite die huis beplan word, bewus. Maak seker dat hulle voldoende toesig het. Sê vir jou kind dat jy van hulle verwag om maniere te hê en respek te betoon en vra hulle om jou in kennis te stel as daar enige probleme is.
4) Let op waarskuwingstekens. Wanneer jou kind met die verkeerde maats omgaan, is die kans goed dat jy sekere tekens soos onverskilligheid teenoor geestelike dinge, ‘n openlike rebelse houding en ‘n aangetrokkenheid tot musiek, kleredrag en vermaak wat jy nie noodwendig goedkeur nie, sal sien.
‘Is dit nie baie veeleisend nie?’ vra jy. Ja, maar dis ook baie liefdevol en beskermend!
Sielskos: Jer 45-48; Luk 5:12-26; Ps 110; Spr 15:8-9
Proverbs 1:10 NLT
You’ll never have a more important job in life than being a parent. And as long as your children are under your roof, you are responsible to God for them.
With that in mind, do these: (1) See who influences your child most. Your son or daughter will gravitate toward certain kids for a variety of reasons. These are the ones they “hang with.” They text them, talk with them on the phone, invite them to the house, sit with them in church, and so on. You can’t monitor every relationship your child has, but you need to know the ones who influence them most.
(2) Get to know their close friends. Notice the way they talk, dress, show respect or a lack of it, and how they play and interact with your family. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions about their parents, the church they attend, and if they’re old enough, their relationship with Christ.
(3) Check your child’s overnight accommodations. If your son or daughter is invited to a friend’s house, talk with the parents and become aware of any activity that might be planned outside the home. Make sure they have adequate supervision. Tell your children you expect them to show courtesy and respect, and ask them to inform you if there’s a problem of any kind.
(4) Look out for warning signs. When your child is running with the wrong crowd, chances are you’ll observe signs like indifference toward spiritual things, an openly defiant spirit, and an attraction to music, dress, and entertainment you don’t necessarily approve of.
“Isn’t that very demanding?” you ask. Yes, and it’s also very loving and protective!
Soul food: Jer 45-48; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
Proverbs 1:10 NLT
We can often underestimate the influence that other people can have on us. Even the TV programmes we watch and the social media accounts we follow can have an effect on us. We tend to become like the people we spend the most time with, so it’s very important that we choose our companions wisely. Here are some tips for making sure that we’re surrounding ourselves with good influences:
1) Try to become aware of who and what influences you the most. There might be a particular person or group that we gravitate towards, or a YouTube channel that we tend to head to when we’re alone. We should try to develop an awareness of who has the most potential to influence us.
2) Check if they’re likely to be good or bad influences. Notice the way they talk, dress, show respect or a lack of it, and how they interact with others. We should also ask ourselves if they draw us closer to God or push us away from Him.
3) Look out for warning signs. If someone is having a negative influence on us, chances are that when we stop to consider our behaviour, we’ll begin to notice things like we’re becoming indifferent towards spiritual things, we’re developing a defiant spirit, or we’re attracted to things that God wouldn’t approve of. Proverbs 1:10 says: ‘If sinners entice you, turn your back on them’ (NLT). When Joseph was being tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he didn’t stop to let himself be trapped – he simply ran from the temptation. That’s a legitimate course of action if we feel we’re being separated from God. We shouldn’t allow anything to replace God’s influence on our lives.
Jer 45-48; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
2021-07-05
Prediker 10:12 NLV
Kry jy maklik seer? Maak jy ander mense seer sonder om dit te bedoel? Daar is drie dinge wat dit veroorsaak: 1) Ons praat uit ons eie seer uit. Die Duitse digter, Hermann Hesse, het geskryf: ‘As jy iemand haat, haat jy iets in hom of haar wat deel is van jouself. Iets wat nie deel is van onsself nie, pla ons nie.’ Dit help om te onthou dat mense dikwels kwetsend in reaksie op dit wat binne-in hulself aan die gebeur is, optree.
2) Wanneer ons seer het, raak ons kleinserig. Kom ons sê jy ignoreer die splinter in jou vinger, wat dan geïnfekteer raak. Iemand raak aan jou vinger en jy skree in pyn: ‘Jy het my seergemaak!’ Die ware probleem is egter die splinter waaraan jy nie aandag gegee het nie. Mense wat seer het, oorreageer, oordryf en oorbeskerm. Gewoonlik is dit die persoon met die meeste pyn wat die meeste skade aanrig.
3) Dit neem tyd om ons seer te hanteer. Vinnige oplossings werk nie. Die barmhartigste ding wat jy vir iemand wat seer het kan doen, is om vir hulle te wys dat jy omgee. As hulle gewillig is, kan jy hulle ook help om deur hulle kwessies en pyn te werk.
Goeie dinge kan uit slegte situasies ontstaan. ‘n Skoonmaakdiensmaatskappy wat in ‘n rioolpyp onder ‘n stad gewerk het, het een-en-sestig diamantringe, verskeie antieke muntstukke en silwerware gevind. Dit was ‘n onaangename werk – maar die werkers kon die waardevolle items wat hulle gevind het, vir hulself hou. Jy mag dalk nare dinge moet hanteer, maar in die proses sal jy dalk skatte ontdek wat jy nie geweet het bestaan nie en na al jou harde werk, sal jy met ‘n wonderlike verhouding opeindig.
Sielskos: Jer 41-44; Luk 5:1-11; Ps 102:18-28; Spr 15:4-7
Ecclesiastes 10:12 NIV
There are three things that can cause us to be easily hurt or hurt other people without intending to: 1) We speak out of our own hurt. German poet Hermann Hesse wrote: ‘If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.’ It helps to remember that people often lash out in response to what’s happening inside themselves.
2) When we’re hurting, we get touchy. Imagine that you ignore a splinter in your finger, and it gets infected. Someone brushes up against it, and in pain you shout, ‘You hurt me!’ However, the real problem is the splinter that you didn’t deal with in the first place. Hurting people overreact, over-exaggerate, and overprotect. They also over-influence. Often it’s the person with the most pain who can be the most hurtful. If we’re on the receiving end of a hurtful comment, we should try not to retaliate, and instead speak and act with grace: ‘A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger’ (Proverbs 15:1 NCV).
3) Getting over our hurt takes time. Quick fixes don’t work. The kindest thing we can do when someone’s hurting is to demonstrate God’s love by showing them that we care about them, and, if they’re willing, to help them work through their issues and get beyond the pain. Good things can come from bad situations. It might mean we have to deal with some difficult issues, but in the process, we might discover some treasures we didn’t know existed, and end up with a great relationship.
Jer 41-44; Luke 5:1-11; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 15:4-7
