“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." Mark 9:4
I used to read this verse and think it was a warning to child abusers. But as I've grown as a Christian and had some children, I'm beginning to see this verse in a whole new light.
Early in my mothering days I used to get pretty frustrated when one of my children would throw a tantrum. It didn't matter if it was past nap time, or past lunch time, in my mind they were disobeying. And then one day I was reading in Mark, and my eyes fell upon the word cause. Whoever causes. I realized that most of the time one of my kids threw a tantrum, or was being particularly defiant, it was almost always a result of poor planning on my part.
But realizing this has shown me how important it is to keep my children's schedule in mind when I plan things or have to run errands. And when it absolutely cannot be helped, I am reminded to show grace and mercy to my children, instead of having unrealistic expectations.
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What a convicting thought! That lack of planning or organization on my part could "help" my children to stumble. It definitely shows me the importance to continually be working on organization and planning.
ReplyDeleteOuch! I am so guilty of this too. Thanks for the reminder to carefully plan my actions and words so that my children are not given any occasion on my part to sin against the Lord.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! I've been pondering that verse quite a bit too, wondering in what ways I'm causing my children to stumble. What habits and behaviors of mine are they picking up on that I should have dealt with long ago? So much to think about, and put into action!
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