Not that we forgo gifting all together. On New Years Day, the start of a new year, we celebrate I <3 U Day. A day in which we give gifts because we love each other. Jesus said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive". And we want to instill that in our kids!
Here in Ukraine, New Year's Day is the biggest holiday of the year. They gift presents on this day. The kids all dress up, and all the men and women dress their best. Instead of Christmas music in the store's, it's новый год (New Year) songs. Everyone, literally, is up all night celebrating. Even the kids. Then they celebrate their Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7th.
I am not a perfect mom. Not by far. But we, to the best of our ability, want to teach our kids the value of the scriptures. The importance of Christ in our life's. Teaching them to love each other. To be angry and sin not. All the different aspects of Charity: thinkth no evil, is kind, vaunth not itself, is not puffed up.
It's not easy being a mom to 3 teenage boys (one almost a teen). My husband is in language school half the day. So it's my job to keep the order, and keep the peace in a house full of raging hormones. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed. Boys, if you did not know, are a completely different species of people. Briana was so easy to raise. Only a couple of years were a little troublesome. But the boys, and their bathroom talk at the kitchen table, their overbearing personalities, their goofiness in front of ladies and girls, and their pride can bring a mom to her knees faster than Orion eating a chocolate cake. If there is one thing I pray for is wisdom. Wisdom to know what to do and how to do it. I also pray for discernment. Cause sometimes, I understand Moses' wrath towards Israel when they would not follow God instructions but wanted to go their own way. God has helped me so much. This past year, God has given me many visual aid's in helping the boys to see better, then just my words....
The boys, sometimes, do their chores. But when they do it, they do a half way job. I've been trying to teach them to do every heartily as unto the Lord. And what so ever thy hand findth to do, do it with thy might. It amazing how they expect me to fulfill all my obligations to them to the best of my ability. So..... one morning I fixed their favorite for breakfast. Pancakes. They each loaded up their plates, and when the cut into them, they were only half cooked. I watch the disappointment consume their faces. Then each one slowly looked at me with confused looks. I told them that I thought I would take their approach to fulfilling responsibility. If I finished cooking them all the way, I wouldn't have time to look at Facebook before starting my day. So to make sure I could do that, I took a little less time cooking. But I hoped that they were ok with that. One by one, each one of their head's dropped in shame. It clicked, they understood the point I was trying to make.
One of my favorite verses to quote is Romans 14:7.
I want them to understand, and know deep within their hearts, that EVERYTHING they do effects someone else. That even as teenage boys, or as a college student, even as young children, their actions effect others.
I read somewhere that it is a bad thing for your children to feel shame. That is not so. The definition of shame is....to excite a consciousness of guilt.... In other words, it's one conscience telling them what they did was wrong. Romans 1 speaks of the conscience that God put in every man. Shame help's a person to know that they did wrong, it's a revealing of the wrong done.
Paul was telling the Corinthians he was not sorry that his letter brought them shame and sorrow for their actions. But that godly sorrow would lead to repentance. Repentance is when we turn from sin to God. We put the sin behind us and walk in the the direct of God. We direct our heart to His. That's what I want for my kids. To have a heart after God.
And this Christmas may our hearts, our minds, and our very being be consumed by the Love of God in Him sending his Son, born of a virgin, born to die so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly and teach our children the same! :)
