Bed Time Stories

When the lights go out at the close of our day, the lights in my childrens head experience a new life.  God tells us to talk to our kids.  Here are a couple stories that I told my special little people as their heads rested on their pillows.

Story 1: loving who God made us to be

God brought all of the animals before Adam.  He brought them in bunches.  One boy, one girl.  One boy hippo, one girl hippo.  One boy horse, one girl horse.  One boy bear, one girl bear.  One boy unicorn, one girl unicorn.  What do you think Adam noticed?  "That he was alone."  He was missing something.  This is the first time in the creation story that God says, "It is not good....."  It was not good for Adam to be alone.  God put Adam in a deep sleep.  How did God make Eve?  "He used Adam's rib."  Yes indeed.  How did God make Adam?  "I do not know."  From the dust of the ground.  God gave Eve to Adam to be a help meet.  "What did she help him with?"  She helped Adam tend the garden, she was the one that  would have the babies and care for them when Adam was at work.  She was to strengthen Adam for the days work.  It is God's plan from the beginning that little girls should be helpers.  God has us called to be life givers.  We should want to help.  We should protect life.  We do this when we see what our little brothers need and help them.  We do this when we do not play fighting games with our brothers but find ways to bless and honor them.  We do this by respecting their desires.  We do this with our words.  What we say will build up or tear down.  If we find that we do not want to be a helper, we go to God and ask Him to put that desire in our hearts.  We go to Him and ask Him to open our eyes to what others in this family need.  We go to Him and thank Him for our brothers.  We go to Him and ask Him to put His desires in our heart and make them our desires.    

Story number two: fear

Yelling, "Mom, Mom, Mom."  Yes sweetie, what do you need.  "I am scared, I do not want to be alone."  This is the thing, you are never alone.  Their will be times in your life when I will not be their.  But God will always be with you.  He can protect you in ways that I cannot.  He is your God and He watches out for you.  Listen to this story:  Jesus told the disciples that he was going to leave them.  They did not want him to go, they wanted him to stay.  Jesus told them that he would send someone to them and it would be even better.  They did not believe this.  Jesus left them and they panicked.  They hid.  They where scared.  When they where hiding what did they accomplish?  "Nothing."  When they where scared, who where they thinking about?  "Themselves."  Fear is not a sin.  But it can cripple and blind us.  We have to obey when we are scared.  God sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples in the form of flaming fire on their heads.  "You are making that up."  No, it really was fire on their heads.  And God put this fire in their hearts.  And it is this fire, the Holy Spirit, that is in you now.  We have the same spirit in us.  "How can God be one but be in you and me at the same time?"  Because God is omnipresent, this means that he is everywhere.  "How can he be one and have bodies everywhere?"  God is not flesh but spirit, so he can be everywhere.  Remember that obedience gives you strong muscles.  It is what will make your path straight and it will light your way so that you will not stumble.  There are things on this road that will be hard and scary.  When you come up to a big dark hole on this path, you must jump over it and continue on.  You can be scared but you need to look down the path and see Jesus there shinning the way for you.  It is not ok to sit down and look in the whole and spend time focusing on what is down in the pit.  It is so easy to sit down and shake with fear for the hole that is before you.  But you must get up and look ahead to Jesus and jump over that hole.  Stay on the path, keep moving.  And know that God will never leave you nor forsake you.  He is with you when I leave your room.  Go to Him.  He wants you to tell Him when you are scared.  Go to Him and ask Him to calm you down.  And remember that He made everything, so there is nothing to fear. Love you and good night.

These are the stories that I told to two of my children tonight.  I love talking with them.  Reminding them of who they are as they close their eyes.  I love the opportunities that night-time brings.  My kids have questions at night that never come out in the day.  They have confessions, fears, stories, attitudes that come out before they go to sleep.  Sleep is a death.  You lay down, close your eyes as the world around is dark and your eyelids reiterate this.  Dark, horizontal, closed eyes, stillness.  This is a type of death.  You look a bit dead when you are sleeping.  And the morning dawn brings new life to us.  I love that my children clear their heads before this nightly death.  They get rid of sins.  They test out some crazy theories.  They ask questions that take some bravery.  They accuse in very pointed ways and remember offenses in tender ways.  They tell their own stories.  I love how many good talks we have had.  I love that God is letting us fulfill His command to teach our children as they lie down.  It can get long, but it is all relative. And I love that my children live boldly and honestly.  Night time is story time here and I pray that they remember the lessons they have heard.