Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

The old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is so very wrong. Words hurt. That is why the Bible is full of verses that tell us to be careful about what comes out of our mouth.

James 3:8 talks about how you can't tame the tongue. Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." Psalm 71:8, "let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day."

There are many more. Why? Because we need to constantly read it and ingrain it into our minds so that we don't use hurtful words. Teaching this to our children instead of the old sticks and stones rhyme is important. They need to understand that words have meanings and can be very hurtful. My boys are just now understanding that their sister takes their words to her heart much more so than their brothers do. This is a daily lesson. These verses help.

Philippians 2:14 & 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Do all things without complaining or disputing. Philippians 2:14

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Those two passages go hand in hand. It's easier to not complain if you are rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to God.
Now that we have a lot of free time during the day and have had beautiful weather, we've had our kids outside picking dandelions (so they don't go to seed and spread), mowing, planting our garden, vegetables and flowers, and other chores that have been hibernating through the winter. They've been doing a lot of grumbling along with it. My husband and I constantly remind them to rejoice instead of complain. When you rejoice and are thankful, there's less room for complaining.

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Waiting is very difficult. I have this verse on my computer desktop and on my refrigerator. Few words today to go with this. I wait. The Lord's timing is perfect. Mine isn't. I really like the part about God strengthening my heart.

This also applies well to teenagers (and even those who aren't teenagers) who can't wait for this or for that (boyfriends, girlfriends, driving, cars, jobs, etc...). Again, God's timing is better than ours.

Matthew 11:30

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:30

Explaining this passage to our kids today was easy. My husband and I decided to not let the kids watch any tv, log onto the computer, or play video games today as a punishment to the boys for not cleaning their room when they were asked. When they finally did clean it, the job was far from what we expected. Hence, the day of no technology. What made this punishment extremely difficult: they had a lot of free time since we finished our home schooling curriculum last week. Thankfully for them, God blessed us with beautiful weather today. They jumped on the trampoline, collected tadpoles, grafted hackberry limbs with Eastern Red Bud trees, and so forth. They are now finishing the evening with a game of Monopoly.

After dinner, I read this passage in Matthew and said that if they obeyed and followed what God taught in the Bible, life would be easy. Consequences of sin are hard and burdensome. It might not seem that way from the world's perspective, but when you do follow the straight and narrow path, life is easier. This doesn't mean we won't face trials (those are good to strengthen our faith), but there will be far less negative consequences to deal with as well.

Matthew 26:39

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. Matthew 26:39

He is risen. We wouldn't be able to say that if Jesus didn't follow His Father's will. He begged to not have to endure the cross. But He did endure it. For us. Oh that we would follow God's will in our own lives, even as Christ did. That we would pray about decisions that have to be made, that those decisions we make are pleasing to God.

My husband and I have some hefty decisions to make in the next few months regarding our children's education. Thankfully, we're at a point of waiting. All in God's timing. If a door should happen to open, we will take it. If the Lord keeps that door shut, we won't try to pry it open. I'm finally at peace with this.

Hebrews 13:5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

My mailbox is bomarded with catalogs almost daily. I have learned to immediately place them in the trash before they lead me down the road to coveting. However, this verse also applies to many other aspects of life. When my children were young, I yearned for the days when they'd get beyond diapers and naps. Many times, I wasn't content with the season in which God had placed me. I'm learning.
I'm trying to teach the same to my children. We're just finishing our ninth year of home schooling. A few years ago, they loved to be at home. For the past couple of years, though, they've acquired a deep curiosity for public schooling. And since our oldest will be in ninth grade next fall, we will probably comply. But for now, instilling in them "contentment" is important. Setting an example for them is even more essential.