I’m sure all parents have this moment because I feel it comes from God. Those moments when your children make you feel like you’re not a good parent.

They may make you feel like you’re not doing enough for them.

They may make you feel as though you owe them more.

They may make you feel like you’re being unfair, unreasonable and unloving.

They may make you feel as though you are not appreciated.

Sometimes they can make you feel as though you have failed as a parent.

For whatever reason, if you let them, your kids can make you feel like a bad parent.

Well, the reason I think God allows that is for a moment of self-examination about the parent’s relationship with God. OH! NOW, I SEE HOW GOD FEELS…(HORIZONTAL EXAMPLES OF OUR VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD)

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DO YOU EVER MAKE GOD FEEL LIKE HE’S NOT A GOOD FATHER?

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When you complain?

When His best isn’t good enough?

When He doesn’t give you what you want?

When He’s too slow?

When He’s too quiet?

When we feel He’s unfair?

When we take Him for granted?

When we don’t spend quality time with Him?

The next time you’re children make you feel like you’re not a good parent, stop and ask yourself do you ever make God feel that way.

1 John 3:1a  (NKJV)

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of ^[a]God…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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Should there be consequence for when reasonable expectations aren’t met on the job? Yes, of course!

But, in our current culture it’s become all to common for a boss to ‘chew out’ and employee who isn’t meeting those expectations…who makes a mistake…who needs correction.

No matter where someone sits on the hierarchy of organizational structure, the fact is that workers are all just people doing a job to take care of their families or themselves…to make a living.

It’s true some jobs are much more impactful on society if someone messes up, for example if someone is setting up an operating room for emergency surgery, but the fact still remains that all workers are equal citizens doing a job.

But think about this. Outside the workplace, your boss is just another person. He or she is someone else’s wife, husband, son, daughter, father, mother…just a person. They have absolutely NO authority over your life outside of your commitment to the company or organization.

Because we are all just equal citizens trying to make a living, no one has the right to overly assertively reprimand another adult at work. Offices, factories, schools and churches are not the military.

No one has the right to belittle you… insult you… embarrass you… or even threaten you because they think that’s leadership. This usually happens when the correction is affected by emotions.

Every organization has consequences in place for when expectations aren’t met.

Verbally warn me with respect!

Write me up!

Demote me!

Fire me!

But no one has the right to belittle, insult, embarrass, threaten or treat another adult like a child, even if they have organizational authority over them.

Real leadership isn’t achieved through fear, intimidation, or adult bullying.

When a person is hired, make sure that the progression of consequences are clear, and proceed through them with respect.

No one wants to be disrespected, not even when they mess up.

Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What do you think?

BE BLESSTIFIED.

I’m a middle aged dude and comfortable in my role and season of life.

I frequently see ads targeting my demographic trying to sell the benefits of boosting testosterone. They claim enhanced energy, vitality, muscle growth and yes, libido.

They claim to restore testosterone to teenage levels.

There’s only one problem.

Teenage-level testosterone is not natural for a middle-aged man. Just like any medicine, there may be unwanted side-affects for a man to have an unnatural level of testosterone for his age.

People use the ‘God created it, so it must be good’ argument for many things, including marijuana. But, even if there are medicinal benefits to ‘weed’ that doesn’t mean it was meant for recreational use.

The natural sugar in fruit juice can still be harmful if it’s consumed in large amounts. Even an overactive immune system, meant to protect us, can be deadly.

The Bible teaches us to use moderation in what we place in our bodies, even wine…

1 Timothy 5:23 (NKJV)

²³ No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent ^[a]infirmities.

Take care of yourself and your body which is the temple of the Living God. Be careful of everything you allow to enter your body.

BE BLESSTIFIED!