I have a 13 year old grandson who turns out creations that are amazing! He and his dad completed this after some months of planning and digging up materials, then getting everything programmed electronically. Both have a lot of talent and perseverance! Enjoy!
Plain Talk
Clear communication is difficult for some people. We’re scared of confrontation, of the person’s reaction, and of maybe making things worse for ourselves. It takes a lot of effort to stay with the issue at hand and get across our point (not be confusing). Often people get pretty good at just clamming up those lips and trading their real feelings for fake ones.
Kids, I fear, have a rough time with communication and lose track of themselves. I did, anyway. Telling our quiet kids to “be quiet” does not help them bring to the surface their emotional needs. We tend to dismiss the quiet kids. Except when they act in ways that make no sense. No one wants to hurt and when they do, they may not know how to share that with others. They may decline conversation and by doing so, hurt you. Humans are complex and adding sin into the mix makes for drama. If support and coaching is lacking, what do we naturally feel? Unseen and neglected. Both are so dangerous.
The reality is, we are all ill-prepared. Battling this culture is too much. My philosophy is, Americans are playing games today, as a society, dismantling the pillars that support it. Fear of not keeping up has crippled us so we can’t concentrate on what is important the way we did once. We get away from meaningful communication.
Stop for a minute and consider this article (excuse the bad language which you’ll read there) which identifies a few ideas on communicating with your partner and perhaps other relationships, in general.
What chance is there of having excellent communication if there’s something else keeping us from being real and open?
Honestly, not much! I’m a recovering addict. I have some experience with workaholism and disordered eating. Have you ever kept using things to numb the pain you feel? I have years and years of diaries that relate a common theme and, until today, I had no idea what this was all about. Now I understand. I was reading about addiction. Those journals testify of my years of bondage where how I believed I should live did NOT match how I was living, thus the many pages of private pain recorded there. Doesn’t Romans 7:18-20 talk about this? I have lived this! Anyone who has reckoned that this is how Christianity just works is really wrong! That is not how Christianity works – don’t believe that lie!
“Two indicators of addiction are the gradual loss of identity and the progressive violation of one’s own values in the practice of the addiction. The gospel describes these addiction symptoms in the following terms: “It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom. 7:20).” Serenity – A Companion for Twelve Step Recovery.
Our pastor gave us each a copy of this book years ago which continues to groom my spirit as I go through the steps.
Look for SERENITY – A Companion for Twelve Step Recovery (Complete with New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs) which is totally inspiring. May it bring healing to you and your family members seeking recovery for 2020. The Lord is faithful and able … believe it! If you have an Amazon account, here’s the link… https://tinyurl.com/txtbzmy
Our Higher Good 