Contractor Needed

Just this weekend we were driving to our favorite restaurant for lunch, when a question came up about the dates of a Fall Festival we didn't want to miss. I pulled out my smartphone, spoke the search words to my friend Google, and within one click had the information I needed.

We live in the Age of Information. Have you noticed?....

Movie reviews, directions, definitions, and answers are just a few clicks away from being known at all times. And with this flood of facts come opportunities for everyone and anyone's opinions to also find us through social media tools.

With easy access like this, our instinct may also be to turn in the direction of a search bar when we're at our emotional end with sibling rivalry or some other parenting concern. Why just earlier today I could have easily strung together the keywords "wants to watch TV instead of do homework" for my search engine advisers.

Don't get me wrong. It's not sinful to find ideas about what works well for others. But where do I turn first? Where am I placing my confidence? My dependence? When our children are struggling with bad habits, disobedience, or friendships at school, do we turn to books and the web for help first? I'll admit, I sometimes do.

Psalm 127:1 reminds me that when God isn't the One building my family, I'm "laboring in vain." In other words, when I attempt to build my house without Him, my efforts are useless. It would be like shopping without money, baking without flour, or drinking coffee without caffeine. You get the idea.

My go-to place for all my parenting questions and concerns should be Him. When my kids are fighting, ask Him for wisdom. When my little one is fearful, tell Him about it and ask for His help and guidance. When we are working on changing sinful behaviors, ask Him to help us to obey and to be changed.

Turning to God through prayer is one way to let Him be the Contractor in charge of building my family; another is to make sure we are working off of His Blueprint. Entrusted with a Child's Heart has taught my husband and me how to do that through establishing and living by biblical convictions which we find in His Word.

If anyone knows how to build our home, it's God. Just step outside, look around a little, and you'll see His craftsmanship. Let's turn to Him first and follow His plan. It works!