Fear Not

It seems a common theme in the blogs that I'm reading these days.  The idea that there is much to fear.  The idea of who is Christian, and who is right is getting narrower and narrower.  The boycott is something to fear, because it was started by someone who is not a Christian.  Dany Carlton in the comments on this post makes it clear that he views this boycott as a the "homosexuals, atheists, and Marxists" waging a war for our children.  He thinks it is an attack on Christianity itself.  Yet, I see no reason to fear.  Christianity can not be taken down.  We do not have to live with a spirit of fear...

Romans 8:15
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

1 Peter 3:14
" But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened."

1 John 4:18
" There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear"

Isaiah 43:1
"But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

I think it would be impossible for every parent not to worry upon occasion, or to wonder about where their children are heading.  It is a big and dangerous world out there, and always has been so.  We want our children to grow up, and follow the path that we have set them on.  But we can not force them.  We can only lead them and teach them.  Our God is in control.

We do not have to parent out of fear.  We can parent with Christ at our side, offering the kind of comfort that the Lord gives to us.  It is absolutely my job to give my children the tools that they will need to meet the world.  But it is also my job to be their shelter.  One day my children will grow up and leave home.  I don't want them to fear me.  I want them to respect me.  I want to know that we are intimately connected, heart to heart.  I want them to know that they can come to me with anything at anytime, and that I will be honest and fair, but loving as well.

People like Mr. Carleton seem to find it impossible to believe that the boycott is only about the Pearls materials.  But it is.  They find it impossible to believe that it isn't a war against spanking. But it isn't.  And they find it impossible to believe that there can be effective discipline without corporal punishment.  But there can.  They can't even believe that I can be a Christian and support it.  But I am and I do.

I am not perfect.  I don't always live up to my own standards, let alone those set by God.  I am broken and imperfect.  I will not always make the best choices for myself, my marriage, or my children, though that is my goal.  What I have is the knowledge that God can take even my biggest mistakes and use them for His own glory.  It is because of my faith in Him that I am a Christian, not because of my stance on a boycott.  I rest in the knowledge that my sins can be forgiven.  I take comfort in the knowledge that I am in His hands.  He is the reason that I don't have to be afraid as a parent, a wife, or a human being.