Train Up A Child Day 11

Well we have made it over half-way through our Train Up A Child journey with Mr JC Ryle. I have learned that as a parent we have been on the right track in alot of areas and this study has encouraged me to remain diligent and determined to stay on the right track. I have also learned that there are some areas that I need to work on...

Train Up A Child Day Eleven

11.  Train them to a habit of always redeeming the time.
   
Idleness is the devil’s best friend.  It is the surest way to give him an opportunity of doing us harm.  An idle mind is like an open door, and if Satan does not enter in himself by it, it is certain he will throw in something to raise bad thoughts in our souls.
   
No created being was ever meant to be idle.  Service and work is the appointed portion of every creature of God.  The angels in heaven work, — they are the Lord’s ministering servants, ever doing His will.  Adam, in Paradise, had work, — he was appointed to dress the garden of Eden, and to keep it.  The redeemed saints in glory will have work, "They rest not day and night singing praise and glory to Him who bought them." And man, weak, sinful man, must have something to do, or else his soul will soon get into an unhealthy state.  We must have our hands filled, and our minds occupied with something, or else our imaginations will soon ferment and breed mischief.
   
And what is true of us, is true of our children too.  Alas, indeed, for the man that has nothing to do! The Jews thought idleness a positive sin: it was a law of theirs that every man should bring up his son to some useful trade, — and they were right.  They knew the heart of man better than some of us appear to do.
   
Idleness made Sodom what she was.  "This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her" (Ezek. 16:49).  Idleness had much to do with David’s awful sin with the wife of Uriah. — I see in 2 Sam. 11 that Joab went out to war against Ammon, "but David tarried still at Jerusalem." Was not that idle? And then it was that he saw Bathsheba, — and the next step we read of is his tremendous and miserable fall.
   
Verily, I believe that idleness has led to more sin than almost any other habit that could be named.  I suspect it is the mother of many a work of the flesh, — the mother of adultery, fornication, drunkenness, and many other deeds of darkness that I have not time to name.  Let your own conscience say whether I do not speak the truth.  You were idle, and at once the devil knocked at the door and came in.
   
And indeed I do not wonder; — everything in the world around us seems to teach the same lesson.  It is the still water which becomes stagnant and impure: the running, moving streams are always clear.  If you have steam machinery, you must work it, or it soon gets out of order.  If you have a horse, you must exercise him; he is never so well as when he has regular work.  If you would have good bodily health yourself, you must take exercise. 

If you always sit still, your body is sure at length to complain.  And just so is it with the soul.  The active moving mind is a hard mark for the devil to shoot at.  Try to be always full of useful employment, and thus your enemy will find it difficult to get room to sow tares. 

Reader, I ask you to set these things before the minds of your children.  Teach them the value of time, and try to make them learn the habit of using it well.  It pains me to see children idling over what they have in hand, whatever it may be.  I love to see them active and industrious, and giving their whole heart to all they do; giving their whole heart to lessons, when they have to learn; — giving their whole heart even to their amusements, when they go to play.
   
But if you love them well, let idleness be counted a sin in your family.

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When I was growing up there were two words we knew never to say...
"I'm bored"

I grew up with two of my male cousins and my Aunt, when I remember my childhood my Aunt and cousins are always there in my mind's memory. You see my Aunt was my Mom's sister and she was married to my Dad's brother. My Dad and Uncle both drove a diesel truck around the country so my Mom and Aunt helped each other out greatly. 

Now both of them hated this phrase "I'm bored". Usually this phrase was uttered because we five kids had come up with a plan of what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go and we had offered said suggestion to this plan and was told "no".

So then we thought if we sat around moping, looking absolutely pitiful, with nothing to do... they would look over at us in our pitiful state and choose to do our will. When we were ignored for a matter of time in our purposeful pitiful state we would say "I'm bored" 

To this both my Mom and Aunt (who had no doubt been busting their butts doing the needed things to care of two homes and five kids while Dads and Husbands were working away from home) would turn to us and fire would shoot out of their eyes and their heads would lift up and spin around at least three times and then out of their mouths like a sonic boom would come... "BORED! Did you really just say, 'I'm bored."???  Well let's see if you're so bored then....."

This would lead to a list of chores of cleaning and working that would take us until bed time to accomplish... oh my talk about a backfire, lol. 

And guess what...
true to my raising, if my girls ever make the mistake of uttering this phrase themselves...
and they do...
and yes, they do so with the very same motive that I uttered it when their age...
fire also shoots out of my eyes and my head lifts up and spins around and the sonic boom reply now comes out of my mouth :-) 

I can also still concur with Mr Ryle, busy is better for me. There is an acronym floating around Christendom attached to this word...
I have even used it myself.

BUSY- Being Under Satan's Yoke.  

If you are too "busy" to be about the things of God, then yes you are under Satan's yoke...

But if your "busy" is about the Father's business... then I believe this acronym is a lie.

A very dear sister in Christ and I were talking a few days ago about how we do better when we are busy. I have often had people comment on my amount of activity and the truth is I am better in my walk with Christ when I am busy about His business. 

Therefore be careful how you walk,

not as unwise men but as wise, 

making the most of your time,

because the days are evil. 

So then do not be foolish,

but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17