Saturday, February 5, 2011

Sisney House Rules

Well, I am just terrible at blogging consistently~sorry about that!

So over the past month God has offered several hints to me regarding the "rules" we live by here in the Sisney house.  I realized that although we teach bible stories and verses and try to surround our kiddos with God's truth we really hadn't taken a stand as a family to be accountable to each other on these things.  So, I sat down with the kids and we first talked about the most important "rules" we should follow as God's children.  Parker was awesome in offering his opinion and Hallie was very quick to repeat the one rule that Mommy is always saying, "Listen and Obey".  I seriously think she may believe that her name is " Hallie Ryan Listen and Obey Sisney"!  Poor thing has great intentions, but her follow through needs a bit of work ;~) So here are the rules that the kids and I came up with:

1.  Love God
2.  Listen and Obey
3.  Nice Talk
4.  Show Respect

These are the rules that are most important in this chapter of our Life Story, and since creating this list I have thought of a few more (5+) that we could certainly adopt.  However, keeping in mind that two of us are 5 and under I thought we should just keep it simple to start!

So after creating our list I went to the Word.  My desire is not for Parker and Hallie to memorize these words on a list, but I want them to store God's Word in their heart as they grow and learn. To have a stored up strength that no one can take from them as they leave the safety of our home.   For each rule there is a scripture that coinsides.  This has not only been helpful at keeping us accountable (trust me Mommy has been called out a few times) to God's truths, but it has also helped me in the heat of a Mommy Moment.  When the kids are in an all out battle for something completely and utterly meaningless all I have to say is, "Parker and Hallie to the refrigerator".  They stop yelling and we all gather at the fridge to see what rule we need to remember.  It has been such a great way for me to store God's word in my heart as well.  So here is the complete list of Sisney House Rules:

1.  Love God ~  You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.  Deuteronomy  6:5

2.   Listen and Obey ~ Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.  Ephesians 6:1

3.  Nice Talk ~ Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.  Ephesians 4:29

4.  Show respect to each other ~ Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32

And my favorite part is that at the bottom of this very ordinary piece of paper that hangs purposefully on our fridge are four very sweet signatures:  Mommy, Daddy, Parker, & Hallie.  It's our commitment to God and each other to do life together according to God's Word.  And I envision this same sweet list years from now, tattered from its life journey from refrigerator to refrigerator, still being the foundation that keeps this family centered.  



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