Stay Off the Fence!

"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers."
Proverbs 4:14 NIV

In the late 80's, we turned a dreary, unused parking lot behind our downtown church in Abilene into a lovely courtyard and children's playground with tall, modular slides and climbing equipment for boys and girls to play on. A beautiful ten-foot brick wall securely enclosed the entire area, preventing children from running into the nearby busy street.

One Wednesday night as Grant and I sat in Fellowship Hall visiting with friends, our 5-year-old son Drew slipped out the back door, down the stairs and onto the playground to play outside - alone. Thankfully, a few minutes later, one of the dads saw him and quickly rushed to rescue him from certain disaster. Drew, our "climber", had crawled over the upper peak of the tornado slide and somehow (it still makes me catch my breath) maneuvered himself to the TOP of the brick wall and was walking it like a tight rope. I'm glad he was down and safe before I knew what had happened!

As a child and teenager, I was guilty of a different kind of fence walking. Many times when an adult gave me a rule, I'd feel challenged to see just how close I could get to the line of demarcation without crossing over and breaking the rule. Often I walked on the line because I was only told I couldn't cross the line. With one wrong move, my reckless attitude could have been as dangerous as if Drew had taken a wrong step on that playground wall!

The only rule God gave Adam and Eve in the garden was that they could not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In fact, Eve told the serpent that God said they should not even touch it (Gen 3:3). The closer we get to sin, the easier it is for temptation to win us over. The devil is alive and well, whispering the grass is greener on the "other side". When you try to walk the non-existent line between good and evil, it's easy to lose your balance and fall in!

Children are curious...or ornery like I was. They naturally want to get close to things that are forbidden. The reality is, your authority won't always be enough to keep them safely under your umbrella of protection. Keep the lines of communication open. Stay involved in their lives - even when they try to push you out. Know who their friends are. Get to know the parents of their friends. Monitor their activities. Stand your ground and never compromise principles. Pray without ceasing. Love them unconditionally. And for those times when they make it to the top of the temptation fence anyway...be close enough in relationship with them to help catch them when they fall.

The Gift of Life

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD." Psalm 127:3a NAS

(Original Post: Friday, April 3, 2009)

I’ve delivered four children of my own, and been in the delivery room for the birth of five grandchildren...the only thing I have yet to do is, “catch a baby” (my OB friend, Dr. Garner’s unofficial term for delivering a newborn). I’m still hoping I’ll get the chance someday...

During the latter days of my first pregnancy, dad called every day to check on me. He and mom lived about two hours away from Grant and me. Dad had a watts line at work so he could check up on me for free. The calls helped him a lot. He was quite the worrier. He wanted to make sure he knew when the “big moment” arrived, so when I went to the hospital, he could worry some more. On the 7th of January, dad and I had our usual morning conversation --- “I was doing fine...yes, I was still pregnant.” What I didn’t tell him was that my water had broken. I didn’t realize it myself at the time. But it didn’t take long...a few hours later, I cradled a precious blanket-wrapped bundle of joy in my arms. Our first daughter was born.

Fourteen years later, Gwen became seriously ill. She lost thirty pounds in three weeks - without trying to, was in agonizing pain and had chronic bloody diarrhea. Puzzled doctors just wanted to pump her full of IV steroids without diagnosing the problem. I felt like she was dying in front of our eyes and I wasn’t about to let that happen without a fight. After a blow-up with one of the Abilene gastroenterologists, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I checked Gwen out of the hospital, went home and cried. 

My cries didn’t go unanswered. The next day, Gwen was headed back to Oklahoma City to the same hospital where she’d been born. God Himself orchestrated the circumstances that allowed us to find a world-renown specialist who agreed to keep his office open until Grant could make the five-hour drive to get her there. I will never forget the phone call late that night, when Dr. Robinson phoned from the hospital to say, “Mrs. Rutledge, I promise I’ll do everything I can to save your daughter’s colon”.

Every day we have is a gift from God. It’s easy to take that for granted until life hangs in the balance. Instead of “taking time to smell the roses”, you’ve got to take the time to enjoy and love your kids. Moments are fleeting and you never get them back. Even if you’re fortunate enough to never face tragedy or a serious illness with your children...they will still be grown and gone faster than you can ever believe!

God, my children are growing so quickly. I didn’t realize how little time I’d have with them. Help me make the most of each new day...living and loving as if it could be our last. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Why?

"How many are Your words, O LORD! In wisdom You made them
all; the earth is full of Your creature." Psalm 104:24 NIV

(Original Post: Sunday, April 12, 2009)

My children should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of times were able to ask “why?” in a 24-hour period. It was usually more a game (to see how long it would take to annoy me) than inquisitiveness on their part. But I was actually pretty good at coming up with answers.

Asking questions is one of the ways children learn. We would all be smarter if we could learn to harness the sense of wonder we were born with. In far too many cases, impatient adults and misguided teachers crowd the wonder right out of kids with their “color in the lines” expectations and unrealistic “kids should be seen and not heard” philosophy. 

Kids need to be challenged to wonder more. They need to be guided in experiences that create awe at the miracles of God’s creation. Our heavenly Father has placed us in a world created by incredible imagination...at every turn, if we take the time to look, we can see the work of His mighty hands. When children are taught first to notice and then to respect the world we live in, they can’t help but recognize Who God is...and believe!

Start when your children are young. As an example, instead of just remarking how beautiful the sky appears when the sun is going down, help your children wonder about the Creator of the sunset. After all, somebody did have to put it there! You might say “I wonder what God was thinking when He painted all those colors on the horizon. Do you think He used a giant artist palette, or maybe He splashed colors on the angels and told them to fly across the sky...” What fun it will be to imagine God painting a sunset for us to enjoy!

God, the beauty of Your creation is all around us. Help me to teach my children Who You are, and to never take Your great world...and Your many miracles...for granted. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.