How far away are we...

I had a pastor when I was a young girl that explained reading the bible to me. He told me that we wouldn't always understand all of it, but we weren't called to understand, just to read. God would bring us understanding in His time. I can remember being 9 years old and my head spinning from all the "begats".

I say that to say this... I can and do understand the bible but what I want to share today is kind of a realization between the lines. Meaning, this is not necessarily a biblically authorative led blog post.

I finished 2 Chronicles this morning. In chapters 33 and 34, we are introduced to King Amon who takes the throne at 22 and reigns for 2 years. He isn't a righteous king so his servants kill him and his son Josiah becomes king at the age of 8. Josiah is a righteous king and reigns for 31 years.

Now, this part stood out to me and in fact stopped me in the middle of reading. This 24 year old man has an 8 year old son. Meaning he was 15 or 16 when he conceived this child. He then went on to disobey God and lost his life early. Out of this, came a good child, an 8 year old king.

As  a mom of 6, I am amazed and appalled here. I spent all day yesterday, trying to get my 8 year old to clean-her-room. I admit I have not perfectly raised perfectly obedient kids. I tried every trick in the book, she wasn't cleaning her room. Now this 8 year old boy, whose daddy was naughty as naughty kings could be, was a good kid that was capable of being a good king. HUH, HOW, WHAT?

So I wonder, how far away from God and obedience are we in today's society. I am thinking really, really, really far. I am appalled.

I also realize that I do try to be the best parent I can be and I am a messy sinner and I mess up this parenting thing a lot. So how did this 8 year old boy make a good king? I heard a saying once. It is , God doesn't expect us to be the perfect parent, He expects us to point our children to Him in everything we do. When I am a good parent, my kids see me pray, when I am a bad parent, my kids see me pray. This amazed me.

The truth and the picture in this is that it isn't about us. We are used to carry out God's will. I have read from 1 Samuel through to 2 Chronicles (The Kingdom Era). For every bad king, there was a good one as well and I can't find any specific order that good and bad kings came.

For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. 2 Chronicles 30:9 KJV

The fingerprints left... take it all to God, teach it all of God. Regardless of how far away today's society is, God wants us to seek Him and He wants us to teach our children to seek Him. Are you taking the time to turn it over and seek God?

A Grateful Believer in Jesus Christ
~Johnna