Children are a heritage from God

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, 

the fruit of the womb a reward. 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior 

are the children of one's youth. 

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! 

Psalm 127:3-5 ESV

Think first

Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, 

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Proverbs 11:29 ESV

Think before you act; the results of your actions impact more than just your own life.

Update and love for the children

I'm going through a lot of personal "stuff" with my family right now and so it's been difficult to blog and keep up with posts, so please stick with me while I try to work out my schedule. I would hate to lose everyone at this point. I so love being able to pray together and share Bible verses and reading plans and exchange inspiration and testimony. May God bless you and keep you.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

Children's rules of divorce

I found a really good article that I feel is worth a read.

The article and photo can be found at the Huffington Post blog by Kara Bishop 12/29/2011 updated 12/6/2017 "If Your Kids Could Make the Rules of Divorce". This is just one article of an 8-week series entitled "Children of Divorce and Changing Families".

These are excellent rules and go back to what I was saying in Monday's post that the kids need to have a voice. They don't need to be a part of the messiness or be told your every thought and feeling about their other parent.  I hope you find the article helpful. You may want to google: children of divorce Christian. There are so many great resources available. My stepson is getting help by turning to Focus on the Family.

With all humility and gentleness, 

with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Ephesians 4:2

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for the children of divorce. Please ask God for guidance as to how to make a difference in their lives and how to help them through a difficult transition. Listen for God's direction. He answers all prayers.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Instructions for families

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Colossians 3:20 ESV

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, 

but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Colossians 3:21 ESV

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for the children of divorce. Please ask God for guidance as to how to make a difference in their lives and how to help them through a difficult transition. Listen for God's direction. He answers all prayers.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Pray for the children of divorce

This week we will be praying for the children of divorce. I can't speak from direct experience on this, only as an aunt, sister-in-law, grandmother, etc. The effects I've seen on the kids are these: they can appear completely fine with the whole situation and then years later show signs of depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Some have attempted suicide.
What I believe is this: our children see and hear too much. In our efforts to be open and honest with them, we sometimes forget their mental, emotional, and physical age. I don't think it's a good idea to vent in front of them, or to them about their other parent. I think it does a lot of harm when we speak badly about their other parent. Obviously, there are negative feelings and tension, but keep in mind that they love both parents. They need to know that they can talk openly with someone about their feelings. Family members should reinforce that.
Divorce happens and the kids will live through it, but beyond the initial shock of it, we need to continue to nurture the children and remind them that it wasn't anything that they did or didn't do.
Spend quality time with them and ask them if there's anything they want to talk about. Most of all, love them and pray for them and teach them the gospel.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins

1 Peter 4:8 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 ESV

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for the children of divorce. Please ask God for guidance as to how to make a difference in their lives and how to help them through a difficult transition. Listen for God's direction. He answers all prayers.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power