Resolved to Insulate vs Isolate
It is 2 AM and I cannot turn my mind off enough to go to sleep. Three strands of thought are flowing over and over in this Nana’s mind. -My grand blessings -Isolate vs Insulate -Resolved
Let me share my thoughts...
-Grand blessings—Sweet Husband and I are enjoying one of the great perks of being a grandparent tonight—a sleepover at Nana and Papa’s. These sleepovers are filled with fun, giggles, junk food, hugs, not much sleep and a profound sense of gratitude. These three little blessings make me smile. I love them so much!
-Isolate vs Insulate. This week I have been thinking about a challenge one of my professors in college issued some forty years ago. “Are you going to isolate your children or insulate them?” With everything happening in our culture today, this has become an even more important question than it was forty years ago. Our world is in a mess and I am wondering what my darling grand blessings will have to face as they grow up. Every generation of grandparents feel the same way, I am sure, but tonight the insanity of our world is weighing heavily on this Nana.
-Resolved—firm in purpose or intent; determined. Our pastor has been doing a sermon series on heroes of the Bible. We have heard about Joseph, Esther, Nehemiah and Daniel. At our small group meeting on Thursday, we were talking about Daniel and his resolve to follow and honor God no matter the cost. I cannot get the word resolve out of my mind.
As I am sitting in the dark vacillating back and forth between these three strands of thought, I am realizing how interconnected they are.
Let’s go back to Daniel from the Old Testament. After King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and took over the city, he took the best and brightest young men back to Babylon to serve him and eventually have a leadership position in the government. Before these teenage boys could begin working for the king, they were to spend three years learning the Babylonian language and being indoctrinated into the ways of Babylon which were in direct contrast to the ways Daniel had been taught in Jerusalem.
Daniel’s parents must have done a good job of insulating him and teaching him God’s ways because, even though he was surrounded by opposing voices and mandates, he knew right from wrong and resolved to honor God and do the right thing no matter the cost.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6– Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. That is insulating!
Psalm 119:11 states- I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Sharing God’s word and the stories found there with our children and grandchildren is insulating too.
As much as we would like to, we cannot keep our kids away from all the evil and insanity they face today and will face as they grow. Isolating does not work but insulating does.
What might happen if, instead of fretting and worrying, we go on the offensive? What if we gain a new resolve to teach the little ones we love, right from wrong, the principles found in the Bible and model living out the gospel for them? Our kids are going to be influenced by something, what if we are resolved to let it be Jesus?
Think about the possibilities for our world if our children and grandchildren could change the culture around them instead of the culture changing them.
I read a quote this week that states it perfectly. “The most radical thing we can do to fight this culture war is to raise our children to fear the Lord above man, hear His voice above the noise and follow his truth no matter the cost. Strong sons and daughters will change culture, but culture will not change them.” -Sean Fuecht
I am resolved to look for ways to help insulate not only my own sweet grand blessings but all children within my sphere of influence. Will you join me?