Purging the dross

This morning I was reading in Kings and Chronicles. What a mess! We like to sit around and bemoan the state of our nation and how much sin there is. But, you know, sin is not new. Song of Solomon says there is nothing new under the sun. And if you look at parts of the Bible you can see the depths of what was and the lives and sins that were already committed. 1Kings 16:30 says that the king did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him. Sin is always increasing. It is never satisfied. Whatever crumbs you offer it will grow and inflate.
When I worked at the girls’ home we taught it as: what I do in moderation they will do in excess. I have also heard it said: what one generation tolerates the next generation will embrace. This concept is not just in the OT, it is laced throughout scripture…I just happened to be reading here today. But, this is a serious thing to me. As I raise my kids, I am constantly aware of what am I doing or tolerating that they will one day embrace. What am I doing that I know I have freedom in, that they don’t understand and could ensnare them.
I so desperately want to teach my kids to know and love Jesus. I was telling someone in small group the other day that my goal is not to have good kids, I’m not interested in people pleasers or rule followers. I’m interested in their hearts. God is interested in their hearts. David with all his flaws was touted as a man after God’s own heart. In scripture God says that man looks at the outward appearance and God looks at the heart. So, as I discipline my kids and offer consequences I work as hard as my flesh allows to balance grace, consequences and the Truth behind their behavior and it’s connection to the underlying heart issue.
Life is messy. Humans are messy. I am a mess! But! I have this love affair with the Lover of my Soul that flows over into every facet of my life. I so desperately want to pass this love affair onto my kids. I am more keenly aware lately than ever before that my kids (now 10 & 13) will have to stumble and fall to find their spiritual legs on their own. The time is coming where all the stuff that has been poured into them will be tested. The refining process will be hot as the dross is removed from their hearts and they are transformed more and more into the new creation that they are and fulfill all that God has prepared for them.
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