Phillipians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
There are many people who don’t think they need the body of Christ to have faith, but this blog is to share how important it is to knit faith into our everyday conversation and to surround ourselves with people who encourage us to greater levels of understanding about what God expects for us. Knitting is one of my hobbies. While showing a friend my latest hat project I was talking to her about why I was using wool and that, even though it is a little itchy, it holds up better and repels more water than cheaper yarns. We are both visual people so I was telling her about my favorite knitting book, Knitting Rules, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, It doesn’t dwell on counting stitches, but rather says, “Just hold the hat up to your head and knit until it covers an ear, then change to stockinette stich.” That’s my paraphrase. I knit a few stitches on this hat while she browsed through the book and read a phrase aloud, “Crap in, crap out.”
Later that evening, we were talking about life and ways that we could work talking about our faith into our kids lives. The verse above, Phillipians 4:8 came up. If you have taken note of what Jesus says in the Bible, he’s really concerned about how we live our lives, right down to our thoughts and our minds. What we let into our world, put before our eyes and allow ourselves to hear all make up who we are. This single passage can change your life if you get that’s it’s really saying just what my knitting book said, “Crap in, crap out.” If we allow things that are not praiseworthy to fill our time, if we let our kids be influenced by things that don’t fit what is pure, lovely and admirable, what can we expect will come out of them?
As parents, we wonder why kids make bad decisions. They are kids! A popular answer, but that isn’t the excuse that fits as they mature and learn to make decisions about their actions. We all make mistakes, but the skills needed to test and approve what God wants for us is rooted in this passage Paul wrote (Phil. 4:8 again).
One good example of input we talked about was television. Have you ever wondered what makes your kid tick? Sometimes we just don’t know our kids, nor how they think and what appeals to them about what they do. Pick a show your kids watch that they are smitten with. Take a half hour to sit down with your child and watch it with them. While your watching, ask your child questions about what they like about that show. Why does it appeal to them. Conversely, interject some things you notice like, “Gee, they sure put a lot of emphasis on what people wear. It’s too bad they don’t understand that God wants us to value what’s on the inside more than what’s on the outside.” Get the picture. Continue this narrative as you watch t.v. together. Believe it or not, God can work through you and your kids will wake up to the “Crap in” principle. I know of many kids that ultimately choose to eliminate that show from their list of life activities. (If after a few times, they don’t, you may cut it out, explain why and then move on to joint analysis of another show, pointing out common themes.) With the information you’ve gained, you may find a more positive substitutions that encourage their interests.
I encourage you to print out Phillipians 4:8. Just click on the verse for a link to Bible Gateway. Here you can read any version of the Bible at any time! It’s the antithesis of “Crap in”. Cut it out and tape it to your television. In fact, tape verses all over your walls and door frames to remind you of what God wants your life to be like. Life is an adventure in joyful living when you adopt this motto for your family, “God in, God out.”
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