Learning Contentment

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Assistant Principal

Are your kids like mine?  Do you constantly fight the "Mom, can I have..." battle?  I have been pondering the value of contentment lately.  We live in a fiercely discontent world; everyone is looking for bigger, better, and newer.   Our children are caught in the midst of this battle and so many times they are swept away in the whirlwind of covetousness.

I've been taken aback by the Scriptures' warning on such issues.  Take for example I Timothy 6:6-10:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (ESV). 

Which of us wants our children to fall into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires, into ruin and destruction, to wander away from the faith or to pierce themselves with many pangs?  So my big question recently has been:  How do I assist my children in fighting this discontent?

I Timothy 6:11 continues: "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.  Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness."  Instead of pursuing material things, we are to run after the things God.  I've been looking for opportunities for my children to pursue the things of God - to change their focus from the material goods they long to have.  So what are some tangible ways of going about that?  Here are some ideas I have discovered:

Work as a Team
Sometimes our children pick up discontent from us, as their parents.  What are we discussing in front of them?  Are we longing for things we can't have?  What our children see displayed in us will be echoed in their own hearts and lives.  I find that I make so much more headway with my boys when I go to them, admit my error, and commit to doing things God's way.  Is this an area that the whole family can work on together?

Put Up Some Help
Type out and frame some of the great verses that deal with this issue.  Put them on display for the whole family to see.  One of my more recent favorites is Hebrews 13:5. "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'" (NIV).   I remember verses that were hanging in my childhood home; it's a great, quiet way to allow your children to store God's word in their heart.  Maybe some of your older children can help with this project. 

Shop Differently
My children love to wander through the toy section of any store.  Of course, this naturally leads to the "I want.." and "Can I have..." moments.  Instead, I ask them who else would like to have that?  I also ask, "If you could pick out one toy for _____ what would it be and why?"  They get to look at the toys, but the focus changes from themselves to others. 

Earn It
Sometimes the value of the dollar is lost on children.  So when my older two began to ask for big ticket items, I encouraged them to begin to save their money.  Then I looked for ways to let them earn some.  I offer paid chores every weekend.  It may take them awhile to earn enough, but when they do so, they value that toy so much more.

Be Grateful
Living a life with gratitude has helped my attitude, and I think it would help my children as well.  I have bought them each a blank hard back book and am going to ask them to make a "Thankfulness Book."  You could use scrapbooking supplies to accomplish this.  Since they created it themselves, it may take a more prominent place in their room and remind them of all the ways God has already blessed them.

Paul says in Philippians that he has learned the secret of being content.  It is something that is learned - not something we naturally have or crave.   I certainly haven't learned enough.  If you have more ideas for assisting in godly contentment with children, please share in the comments below.  You know what Paul's secret is?  "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:11-13, ESV).  We can do it, but we certainly need the Lord to be at work in the hearts and lives of the children he has entrusted to us.

Finishing Strong

by Dick Buckingham, Administrator

II Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.”

The apostle Paul, in arguably his last letter to his protégé Timothy, makes this interesting and profound statement: I have finished the race.  Paul often uses the race analogy when referring to the lives we are living for Christ.  In I Corinthians 9:24 he says,

“Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

This verse has been the theme verse for our students this year and we have focused on running the race of

our lives with passion.  Passion is that element that often separates one racer from another, between getting or not getting the prize.  One of the things we love to see in an athletic contest is someone who gives it all in order to go a split second faster, or jump a fraction of an inch higher.  We seem to intuitively know that giving our all is the right and best way to live and we admire someone who does it, and does it well.  Many a race has been lost by pulling up too soon.  Every good coach knows to impress upon his athletes the importance of running hard through the tape before slowing down.  They push this just as hard in practice races as they do the actual race.

I often remind my students that we are given opportunities throughout life to practice finishing strong and we should use them to make it the pattern of our lives to give it our all, all the way to the end.  Such opportunities are things like school years which end each May.  Students can practice doing their work and being faithful to their studies at a time when they feel more like coasting and sitting by the pool.  Many a parent (and teacher) knows how difficult it is to motivate children with “Spring Fever.”  We may be able to look back and remember how difficult it was for us to focus and stay motivated and keep going strong to the end of a school year.  We may want to give our children a pass and feel like the school ought to take it easy on the students as the year winds down.

What I want to impress upon you as a parent is that there are some lifelong implications to how we finish things.  The way we practice the race is the way we will run the race.  If it is our habit and pattern to coast as we come to the end of the school year, we may likely do that in college.  When we could have received high grades, our grades are satisfactory or even mediocre.  We may tend to take it easy as we transition from one job to another or one position to another within our company.  Instead of giving our all for as long as we are employed, we may see our effort begin to wane as we approach retirement age.  We all know what a lame-duck politician is.  They are in their last term of office and the closer they get to the end, the less they accomplish. 

More importantly than all these, there are spiritual implications as well.  Instead of remaining steadfast all our lives and serving the Lord every day of our lives until he calls us home, we may begin to take it easy in our walk and not be so concerned about the Lord’s work as we once were.  Our place in heaven may be secure, but our reward will be affected.

The apostle Paul left nothing on the table.  He gave every effort up to the very end of his life to serve the Lord and others.  He was able to say without apology, “I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.”

Once in a while, we see this kind of commitment in people we know.  My mom went to be with the Lord just about two weeks ago.  She was 81 and lived a life of service to the Lord.  Though weak and frail and prone to illness, she never ceased to pray for others, to encourage others in the faith, and to do whatever she could to serve others, up until just days before her Savior called her home.  She is one who can with Paul say, “I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.”  As a result, she is now hearing the “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from her Lord.

What about you?  If your life on this earth came to an end today, would you be able to make that proclamation?  How are you finishing?  Are you finishing strong?  Are you encouraging finishing strong  from your children?  Are you leading them by your example?

Back to School!

by Jennie Smith, Secondary Assistant Principal

It's not too long now...school will be back in session!  (Are you squealing with joy or shedding some tears?)  Either way, here are a few tips to help get you and your kiddos ready for the big day.

Get Them Ready
When my first son started Kindergarten, I had no idea that a school routine could be a shock to his system.  By Wednesday of the first week of school, he was sick and missed the last half of the week!  I learned quickly that I needed to start a week or two before school to help my children adjust back to a school schedule.  You can begin by adjusting their sleeping schedule - put them to bed a little earlier and get them up a little closer to the right time.  This way their body is getting the rest they need and the first week may not be so rough.

Because I have boys, I have to get their stomachs back on school schedule too.  Instead of grazing the whole day, I set specific eating times that mimic the school schedule.  That way, they won't be distracted by the grumbling belly in those first few days of school.  Anything you can do to assist them getting back to the school routine will alleviate some issues that first week.

Get Their Stuff Ready
Back-to-School shopping can get expensive, but there are some easy ways to find the best deals. Because God calls us to be good stewards of what we are given, it is best to take advantage of sales.  I most often use pinchingyourpennies.com.  The people who run this site post sales from the weekly circulars and what coupons are available to use with those sale items.  They have a specific "Back-to-School" forum that is especially helpful this time of year.  Even if you are not an extreme coupon-er, this information is helpful and all in one place.  Here is the link for the Arizona Back-to-School forum:   http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=470dcbfb65051dcc200ccad7d9887df3&t=203012

The Krazy Coupon Lady is also very helpful.  They have a web page that is easily accessible or you could "Like" them on Facebook and get all sorts of deals directly to your news feed:  http://www.facebook.com/TheKrazyCouponLady.  They are even posting videos to YouTube telling you how to get the best deals on school supplies.

If you are not a store hopper, use the ads to create a shopping list - prices and all - and head to Walmart for price matching.  If you take just a little extra time to do some research, you can save yourself a little bit of money.

I spent only $25 on these supplies from Staples and Office Max following the advice of The Krazy Coupon Lady!

Get Yourself Ready
When you are out shopping, be sure to pick up some extra supplies for home.  You'll need pencils and paper easily accessible for homework.  Have your kids pick out their homework spot for the year and get it all prepared with supplies.  I use their pencil boxes (and any other leftover usable supplies) from last year to hold their homework supplies for the new year.

Research some fun lunchbox ideas prior to school.  Surprise your kids with something new and different. There are some ideas at Kraftfoods.com, but they also have lunch box jokes and notes in printable form.  Get a few ready and surprise your kids with the "old school" note in the lunchbox!  A joke shared at the lunch table may inspire a new friendship.  Here's the link:  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/kid-friendly/lunchbox-ideas.aspx

Be sure to attend your orientation night (sometimes called Meet the Teacher).  You will usually find a wealth of helpful information that will make the transition from summer to school a little easier.

The start of school is quickly sneaking up on us all and it is vitally important that we spend some time preparing in whatever way we can.  What kinds of things do YOU do with your kids to get them ready for the start of school?  Leave them in the comments below.