I know we have all heard the phrase, “when they go low, we go high”. Well, I am here to say sometimes we just need to stoop to their level. There is no way around it, they just will not get it until we do!
Have you ever met a Christian that act like they are just Holier than Thou? They have never done anything wrong. They are just so perfect and very quick to judge and condemn others for the same things that they themselves have done in their past.
Growing up I can remember hearing the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do”. Well, that is not the way to get things done these days. Have you ever thought about why we have lost so many of our kids to the evils of this world? I tend to believe that is because we as parents are not living examples to our kids. They are seeking love and attention from places and people outside of the home. Peer pressure is real. We simply cannot be their friends first, we are charged as parents to train, lead and guide them through life. Children learn by what they see, therefore, we should be careful about what we do or how we behave in their presence. Are we perfect no, but at the same time we cannot pretend to be perfect. Transparency can be good in many ways. Being open and honest with our children can lead to them avoiding the many mistakes we have made in life. I can appreciate looking at the mistakes of others and learning from them, so that I do not have to repeat and suffer the consequences.
Just think about a newborn baby for a moment. That baby can not take care of him or herself, but by being a parent we know exactly what they need. It is not recommended that you give a newborn fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and cornbread. That baby will choke. You need to start the baby off with milk/formula, something easy to digest that don’t need chewing because they don’t have teeth yet. As the baby matures, we can change their diet, but it is a process and we simply need to trust that process. The same goes for teaching them the Word of God, we need to give them something that they can understand on whatever level they are operating on currently.
We should be careful with our children. It is our responsibility to nurture and love them at home first to avoid them seeking outside sources. They should not need to seek things of this world to feel like they “belong to “or are “a part” of something. They should know that they “belong to” and are “a part” of us and that is enough. Our children knowing that we are not perfect, and that we don’t expect them to be perfect can make a world of a difference. We simply should meet them where they are, so if we need to stoop to their level, then let’s get to stooping!
They may not understand the many choices or sacrifices that we make for them early in life, but I promise that they will appreciate it in the long run. Let’s love, lead, guide and direct them by living the best life we can in front of them. I will stoop to their level as long and as often as I need to…what about you? Are you ready to stoop?