There are so many events, incidents, circumstances, tragedies, and mishaps that occur in our lives that make us wonder: what is going on, why is this happening, how did I end up here going through this, when will it end, who am I to have to endure this, etc.

Imagine this:  you are a champion athlete.  You have trophy after trophy, and blue ribbon after blue ribbon to prove it.  Your foot slips ½ inch and throws everything off and life as you know it ends.  You have a torn ligament that will never heal properly and has taken you out of sports altogether?  What could be sadder?

Isn’t it disconcerting when you have gone to college, gotten your degree, searched and searched for a job and you hear about “it”, the perfect job for you, but you are too late.  The job is closed.  The opportunity is passed.  You heard about it, but one day, 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 12 seconds too late.

And why was your child in the back seat of the car the day the neighbor’s child decided to drive drunk and kill everybody in the car except himself?

Why did your husband walk into the Chase towers the same day Yvonne Smith decided to take, a non-typical detour, and walk through on the same day, at the same time, at the exact second to bump into him, thus igniting the start of their relationship and the end of yours?

Why does my baby have Down syndrome when I didn’t drink, do drugs, or smoke cigarettes, yet Suzie did all of those irresponsible things and her baby is healthy?

Why did my mom die before the promised age of 70 years old?

As Christians, do any of these scenarios give us the right to question God and what seems to be His will, or at least the path that our life, by no fault of our own, takes?  Is it alright to get mad at God?  Is anger toward God allowed by those of us who claim to love Him and rely on Him for guidance and blessings in our lives?  Again I ask, when is it ok to question God?  When is it ok to be angry with God?  When is it ok to challenge God?  Is that part of being His child and understanding our walk with Him or should we just say, thine will be done oh Lord?  Is that a passive Christian or is that truly an interactive Christian who wants a deeper knowledge and understanding of their Father?  Do these actions toward God diminish His respect for us and does putting God on the spot come at a cost to  us?

I had an Aunt just die recently and to be honest it makes me wonder, was her death truly God’s will?  Is it alright to at least wonder?

Today is the day to share your stories, trials, tribulations, and victories of taking one full week and asking yourself What Would Jesus Do before you thought, spoke, acted, and reacted!  Wasn’t it challenging?  Wasn’t it mind boggling when you stop and thought about how many things we say and do without giving any thought to pleasing God before we did them?  How many good deeds did you do?  How many things didn’t you say this week that you normally would have said?  How many positive and encouraging things did you give to people and say to people?  How many lives did you change?  Did your life change?  

Please tell us how this challenge impacted your life and if you believe you can continue your daily Christianity asking yourself everyday What Would Jesus Do?  I looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Proverbs 22:6 says:  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 20:11 says:  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Growing up a PK, eyes were always on me and my four siblings as to what indiscretions we might commit.  Well, let me say, grown ups would look at us to see our indiscretions so they had ammunition to say my father wasn’t all that.  I will speak for me; I violated many of the things my parents taught me were wrong.  But as far as my mother and father go, they didn’t falter.  No, I can’t say they were perfect but when it came to raising their five children, they were as close to perfect as you could get!  Consistent!!!  No meant no, day after day after day!  No didn’t mean no today and then tomorrow, it meant yes.  uh uh.  I know that sounds biased, but if I had enough time, I could convince you; they were ambassadors for Christ when it came to parenting!

Sadly enough, I’m not sure they make ‘em like that anymore.  I wasn’t the parent my parents were and I’m certain my siblings would say the same thing.  Sometimes I wonder if the ‘new generation” fears God like our parents did.  The bible/God’s word is clear when it tells us how to raise our children.  Why is that so hard for us?  Why is it so effortless to stand on the word of God for most things, but when it comes to raising our children and standing on that same word, we struggle?  This is a big topic but the one aspect I want to deal with today, is the one thing I have heard from so many parents, (not mine, remember, they were near perfect ) and especially fathers, and that is telling their children to fight.

Here is what I’ve heard so often and mostly from Christians, “don’t you start it (the fight) but if they put their hands on you and you don’t do something (fight back), I’m gonna get you (spank you/whip you) when you get home!  Heard it?  Said it?  Why is that one of the areas where we tragically fail our children?  According to my bible, there is not a command by God revising the “turn the other cheek” commandment for our kids during childhood and adolescence. (Matthew 5: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also).  There might be a bible scholar out there that will dispute me and say there is such a scripture telling us to teach our kids to fight, when they are young, and I just haven’t seen it.  Do we realize with these teachings we are raising bullies and potentially young men/women filled with rage.  I know that sounds too simplistic, but I challenge you to do some research and see that many violent adults began their lives as violent children.  We are Christians.  We are supposed to sow integrity and goodness into our children’s lives when they are young, so we will see the rewards of integrity and goodness when they are old!

My girlfriend quotes me because I have said it so often, and I still believe it, we as Christians should be the best at whatever we do.  We should be the best employee, the best citizen, the best neighbor, the best student, the best daughter/son, and the best parent.  But the only way we can do this is by being different than the masses.

I grew up with “Christians” that were a part of my church and our children attended one high school.  Almost all of the children of these “Christian” families got kicked out for fighting!  Kid you not!  There are hundreds and thousands and millions of non-Christian kids who go through 12 years of school and beyond and never get kicked out for fighting.  Why is it that so many Christian children cannot live up to the same standard as a non-Christian child?  

One thing I have to say about life, we typically don’t take a path if we don’t realize it is an option.  Teaching your child to fight/giving your child an option to fight, regardless of the circumstances, should not be an option!

Listen, if we don’t realize Christianity is a daily occurrence and not just for Sundays, we will not please God nor be accepted by Him.  I hear you saying God will forgive me for looking out for my child, teaching him to stand up for himself, and not letting Johnny get the best of him.  Will He?  He gave His son up on the cross!  Are our children better?  Tell your daughter or son to take it!  Really the bottom line is the parents are embarrassed to think another man’s child beat up their child!  As I’ve said in previous articles, we live vicariously through our children.  What they do or don’t do, we see as a direct reflection on us.  Bingo!  But do we want their actions to reflect our Christianity or our non-Christianity?

Following Christ has benefits those not following Him aren’t privy to!  If you trust Him, if you obey Him, if you actually do His will, I can’t say troubles won’t come, but I can say, He will bring you out!  Telling our kids it is okay to do something God is displeased with at certain times, is ruining the parent’s witness and credibility as a Christian!  How are they going to be able to decipher right from wrong when they see you at church praising the Lord and shouting, and then tomorrow they are at school explaining to the principal they were in a fight because daddy told me I had to?  And kids will tell it!  Then the principal says, I thought your dad was the deacon at Mount, We Love the Lord, Non-denominational Come to Meeting, Assembly of Our Lord and Jesus Christ Church; and little Bobby has to say, “Yeah, I think he is”.  Now that is what should be embarrassing!

Don’t be mistaken, the world knows our children.  They know who they are and whose they are.  It is up to us to pour the right things into them.  Even if they stray, your accountability to God and His word is covered.

Talk to me about laying down our Christianity when it suits us and picking it back up when it suits us.  Is that Christianity?

Don’t forget, Sunday begins our first 7daybuzz.com WWJD 7 day challenge! 

WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) 7 day challenge is going to challenge your conscious, strengthen your spirit, and call you to a new level of Christianity!  Join us Sunday for all the details and an exciting invitation to share with us your 7 journey as you ask yourself time and time again, What Would Jesus Do in this same situation!  I’m in!  Are you?  I’ll be there sharing my stories and experiences.  I look forward to hearing from you too!