In Their Business

Raising children is challenging, especially these days. The distractions I remember having when I was a teen are nothing compared to my daughters' distractions. It’s scary sometimes when I send them out into the world each and every day. I have to pray for them. I honestly don’t see how anyone can send their children out and not at least ask God to protect them. God is so faithful, even when we are negligent, he never misses the mark. 

I remember when I was in high school. I was on the Basketball Cheer team. In one particular game, we traveled out of town to play one of our rivals. When we went to the restroom to prepare ourselves for the game, we noticed that there was a great amount of graffiti on the walls. Now, I am nobody’s snitch, even though this was 20 years ago. (lol) I will only implicate myself in this crime. Anyway, I noticed that there was a lot of graffiti on the wall, so I decided to add my initials to the wall. Now, I wasn't fool enough to write my name, even though the wall was littered with names. Once the deed was done, we all left the restroom and proceeded to cheer our basketball team through a vicious beating.

The next day, I was called into the principles office. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. I never got into trouble. I hated getting into trouble at school. I had managed to make it all the way to high school with no write-ups, no in-school suspensions, or detention. I was proud of that fact. So when I walked into the principal’s office, I honestly didn't know what to expect. He caught me off guard when he told me the rival school called and said that some of our girls had vandalized their walls. I was asked if I participated in the deed and I lied and told him no. Since I never got into trouble and was an overall good student, he believed me and let me go. 

That night, I tossed and turned. I could not sleep for anything. That incident weighed heavily on me and I was getting eaten alive because I lied. The next morning I talked to my mama about it and she said that the Holy Spirit was convicting me. That he know I was lying and he wanted me to know that I had no business lying about it. When I got to the school, I ended up going back to the principal’s office and telling him that I lied and that I in fact added my initials to that wall. I apologized for lying and only implicated myself. I never told on anyone else. The principal was so impressed with me for coming back on my own, he let me go with a warning and I never got in trouble for that incident. 

So, what is the point you ask? The point is; that God will get all up in your children’s business. Lately, that has been my prayer for my girls. I can’t be with them every second of the day to make sure they are being honest, and productive students and members of society. The only thing I can do is raise them up in the way that they should go, and pray for them daily. I pray that not only the Lord protects them, but that the Holy Spirit guides them to make good decisions, and when they don’t, I pray that they are convicted and make it right. 

It’s imperative that we keep these children, our children before the throne of God. This is a big cold world, and it’s quickly turning from the ways of our Lord, I need my kids prepared.