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Christian Living

Family

Mommy and the Joyful Three

Ready, Set, Defend Your Kids: Who Is In Your Huddle?


In this raging cultural war, we must counteract the enemy with a strong defense. To have a strong defense, strong role models should surround our children. The same must surround us.

Talking a good talk is meaningless when you are not walking it out. I admit I have often, even as an adult and as a mom, found myself in the wrong crowd.

I have had a weakness for people who struggle; even if they did not want help, I have befriended individuals whose lives are full of drama and problems. My weakness affected my children. My huddle is their huddle. The people in my circle are the people with whom they are in contact.

My father often tells me that I am a magnet for the wrong people. He calls it “Bleeding Heart Syndrome.” I used to point out to him that God wants us to help others. Now, I understand that if you are weak and you do not have your defenses up, you are more likely to get pulled into a bad situation. While we should always be an encouragement to those who may not know God or who have fallen away from Him, it does not mean they should be an active part of our lives or our children’s.

The counsel of the wicked is cheap and easy to come by. The counsel of the wise is priceless. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens Iron and one man sharpens another.”

Our daily activities determine the people with which we associate. The adults in your child’s life should have similar values, a godly faith and the same desire to help your child succeed as you do.

Joining a church is a great place to start. Finding families who raise their children in a godly way is another.

There will be times when you cannot be there for your son or daughter. When they need counsel, there should be a strong team surrounding them to step in. Sometimes it can even be easier for a child to open up to someone who is not his or her parent. If we place the right people in their lives, they will get the kind of guidance we wish for them to have.

We also are not capable of being everything to our children. In terms of growth, a child needs many different people to encourage them. This is why even the strongest coaches have assistants.

In a sense, the people we associate with should be there to counteract the enemy’s advances towards our families. If you struggle, you should have a strong team to help pick you up.

A coach would not allow a player from the other team to join their huddle. The counsel our children receive must not be from opposing sides.

Hypocritical relationships can confuse a child. If you tell your child to stay away from drugs, yet are friends with addicts, this can lead a child to feel you are not being honest with them or that it really is not a problem for you.

Your children may be faced with the wrong kinds of friends and faced with peer pressure as teens and throughout their lives. If they do not have strong, reliable role models, they may not make the right choices.

Wisdom sticks with us. As we grow, we can relate more and more to the guidance we have received in our lives. Every moment matters and all we see and encounter takes a part in who we become and our choices.

Satan will put his players in your children’s paths. This is no accident; he wants them to be led astray. With the right defenses, our children can stay focus on God’s will for their lives.

Of course we cannot find perfect friends and no person will be without their own problems, but God helps guide us toward the people we need.

Who is in your huddle? Are there times you have to rethink the people who surround you?

Next week, stop by for the next part of this series: “Armor and Adversity”.
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