The Passionate Mom

Dare to Parent in Today’s World

by Susan Merrill

2013

 

Always on the lookout for resources that God can use to transform me into a better mom, I picked up The Passionate Mom from one of our city’s few Christian booksellers.

 

A Mother’s Day gift to myself.  

 

Author, Susan Merrill, writes about a parenting model based on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

You know, the one where Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem to get the broken down city wall fixed.

 

The story of Nehemiah has long been a favorite of mine and the connection between walls and parenting resonates deeply.

Think about this verse,

“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge” Proverbs 14:26.

 

I want to be a secure fortress for my children and secure fortresses depend on walls.

 

Walls are important.

 

From a parenting perspective,

Walls are how parents protect their children.

They are the rules that stand according to age and maturity.

 

Even further, 

Walls are needed to protect my child’s heart.


And they come out of my relationship with the Lord.

 

God has given me walls as well.
They are the statutes and instructions in His Word meant to protect me and help me experience life according to His perfect plan.

 

But,

How often do my kids step out from the protection of my walls?

How often do I step out from the protection of God's walls?

 

Susan Merrill goes on to explain that even the most secure fortresses have gates in which to go in or to go out.

 

What are the gates in parenthood?

Privileges.

 

How will I know if my child is old or mature enough to function beyond my wall if I don’t let them try?

After all, gates have gatekeepers.

A gate can always be shut...

 

Walls and gates, are they too abstract?

A great example in our family is that we have started to let son #1 bike around our neighborhood by himself. This is a gate, or a privilege, that we have opened up to him as he had previously demonstrated  trustworthy behaviour while staying within our walls, that is biking on our street.

Son #2 is still required to stay within our walls by staying on our street as he hasn't demonstrated the maturity needed to go off on such an adventure. It would also help if he learned to ride his bike.

Despite this identification with walls and gates,

I think what struck me deepest in this book is the idea that I need to have time to think about my children and pray for them.

 

Time.

 

That is the key word.

 

If my life is too full of activity, with too many projects, and too much rushing around, when will I find the time to ponder and pray about my kids?

I won’t.

And if I don’t, who will?

My husband?

Nope. He’s even busier.

 

Busyness and the desire to simplify.

It seems to be a common theme in my life right now.

 

What to cut?

What to continue?

What is truly important?

What fits with the ministry called motherhood?
What fits with what God has truly called me to do? 

“You are called to lay the foundation for your son’s or daughter’s faith. You can build a strong wall to protect your child, but if you don’t lay a solid foundation for what he or she believes, you will have missed your mission. Your child’s heart is the dwelling place for God. Build it strong, and then protect it with your wall.”



Reading on...

Lest We Forget

April 7 was Holocaust Remembrance Day, so I decided to focus my reading around the topic.

The words were often hard to read.

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

1947

I am sure you have at least heard the name, Anne Frank, but have you read her diary?

I read it years ago, but this time round gave me a new perspective.

Anne Frank was a Jewish teenager in Nazi-occupied Holland. Her family, along with the Van Daan [Van Pels] family and Mr. Dussel [Mr. Pfeffer], went into hiding in order to escape deportation and certain death. (Names had been changed for the book, at least according to the Anne Frank Museum website.)

This diverse group hid for 25 months in the upper floors of a warehouse before they were betrayed and sent to various concentration camps.

Anne’s father, Otto Frank, was the only one to survive.

The Diary of a Young Girl is Anne’s journal.

Full of teenage angst, Anne's entries document this time of secrecy.

This time of eight people in close-quarters with little to do, limited food, and the constant fear of discovery.

On Tuesday, April 4, 1944 Anne wrote,

“I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me.”

Anne got her wish.

Making Bombs for Hitler

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

2012

This middle grade novel is about a young girl, Lida, who is forced into slave labor at a munitions factory in Nazi Germany.

The one piece of advice Lida was given, as she was transported to the labour camp was, “make yourself useful”.

So she did.

When other children her age were deemed useless and expendable, Lida lied to make herself older and was permitted to put her skills, and her small steady hands, to work.

Some of this work included making bombs.

Some of this work included sabotaging bombs.

Making Bombs for Hitler captivated my interest as it explored the slave labour side of Nazi Germany.

Osterbeiter was the name.

A few facts:

Non-Jews were picked up off the street and sent to labour camps to work.Most Osterbeiter’s were Ukranian and had to wear “OST” on their sleeves.

They were regarded as subhuman and were killed if they tried to escape.
Others died from over-work or when the factories they were working in were bombed by the Allies.

Making Bombs for Hitler is actually a sequel to the novel, Stolen Child, which tells the story of Lida’s sister, Larissa, a victim of the Nazi Lebensborn program.

I have yet to read it. 

The Hiding Place

by Corrie Ten Boom

1971

A classic in Christian literature, this book was amazing.

What a story of faith.

Corrie Ten Boom was a non-Jew living in Nazi-occupied Holland when she allowed herself to be used by God to save many of His people – the Dutch Jews.

Corrie became very involved in “The Underground”, which involved stolen ration cards, hiding Jews and various other clandestine activities.

Eventually the Ten Booms were discovered and Corrie, along with her older sister, Betsie, and their elderly father, were imprisoned.

Corrie was the only one to survive.

There are two distinct stories that stand out to me in The Hiding Place.

The first:

Betsie was an example of true thankfulness to all those around her.

She genuinely lived out 1 Thessalonians 5:18,

“Give thanks in all circumstances…”

She even gave thanks for the fleas in their barracks at concentration camp, Ravensbruck.

In the end, it was these fleas that kept the guards away so Betsie and Corrie could freely lead Bible studies.

The second:
Betsie prayed for the Nazi soldiers and guards – the enemy. 

Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you.”

It’s easy to pray for our friends and loved ones, but how easy is it to pray for the

enemy?

Corrie Ten Boom was released from Ravensbruck on, what she later discovered, a technical error. All women of her age were actually assigned to be killed.

Corrie's story didn't end the day she walked out of Ravensbruck.
Until she was quite elderly, Corrie travelled the world sharing the Gospel and the free gift of God’s grace.

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust

by Doreen Rappaport
2012

Full of amazing pictures and stories of bravery, this book was a privilege to read.
I had no idea.

Reading on…

Boys Adrift

The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men

by Leonard Sax

2007

 

 

I am not going to write in great detail about this book, as I read it years ago.

However, if you are looking for a great book to help you understand your son – this is it.

 

Leonard Sax is a family physician and research psychologist who has an interest in boys and why they struggle in today’s society.

Insights ranging from the lack of healthy male role models to false realities provided by video games to lack of physical competition in schools are all discussed in an engaging and easy to read style.

 

Boys Adrift is a book I’ve recommended multiple times.

 

Reading on…