Dad is the Roof, Mom is the Wall

My 4 year old daughter Olivia is very talkative (I wonder where she gets it from). She often interrupts conversations between her parents- Chuck and I. I realized this was a problem because she was not respecting her dad. She needs to understand that her father is the head of our home...One day I explained to her, "Olivia, look out the window. See the roof on the house next door. Well Daddy is the roof. When the roof talks you listen and wait your turn"

One day she asked me, if Daddy is the roof, what are you? I wasn't sure what to say. My husband Chuck wisely answered, "Momma is like the 'walls' of the house."

She understood this illustration.

Last night I caught a brief segment of PBS Ground War and they showed a massive wall called "Hadrian's Wall."

This wall is a great fortification which was used to provide peaceful conditions in the frontier (or battle) zone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall

As I listened to the narrator I was dumb-founded. The narrator said, "The wall sent a message to potential enemies that this empire was not backing down. This empire would fight to defend its people"

Oh my goodness LORD. That is exactly what I am as a mother. I am a WALL. I am standing in the gap between my children and the three enemies- The world, Satan and the flesh. I am the wall and will lay my life down for my children.

What do most parents do when there is a dog, or some sort of danger, they put their body in front of their child to protect them.

We need to be aware of the spiritual battles that are going on out there. We need to stand up for righteousness and be that spiritual wall for our kids.

There are some amazing walls built to protect empires. The great wall of china and the hadrian wall in England are just a few examples.

I found another cool example. This is a military tactic called a "shield wall"
The formation of a shield wall is a military tactic that was common in many cultures in the Pre-Early Modern warfare age. This strategy is of a "wall of shields" formed by soldiers standing in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Each man benefits from the protection of his neighbor's shield, usually the man to his right, as well as his own. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_wall

As parents, we can pray for each other. The Bible says, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Paul tells us to "take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Jesus also said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9

Of course we know that Jesus is the door as in the entrance to heaven, the one to whom we accept, we receive salvation. (Acts 4:12)

But by describing Himself as "the door" Jesus also meant that He literally was the door for the sheep pen. See in Jesus times, the shepherd literally laid his body across the entrance to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves.

Similiarly, I am the wall for my children. I am to teach my children the Truths of God's Word. I am to pray for and protect my little sheep, my children at all times. Indeed, there are many, many wolves out to snatch and rob my children of their joy and of the Truth of God's Word.

I heard Sonny from POD of the Whosoevers say the other day that the youth and young adults these days are just "consumers" they are just believing the hype. They are buying the albums, buying the clothes, buying the beer, buying whatever it takes to be cool. It is my job as a wall to defend God's Word.

But who is taking the kids to the mall to buy the revealing clothes? Who is purchasing the IPhone where a kid can access porn? Who is allowing a child to send naked photos on the internet? Who drops the child off at a concert? Who takes the child to get on birth control? Who pays the cell phone bill? THE PARENTS

We have taken a passive approach as a society in this matter...For example, I am so appauld at the Carl's Jr commercials. Why do I have to watch some girl eat a burger in a bathing suit? I am probably going to write a letter complaining because it is really getting out of control.

Remember, a wall sends a mighty message that the battle is on! We are not going down without a fight. We stand as victors in Christ and we will defend our kids' and protect them from this evil age.

So stand up! Be the wall for your spouse. Be the wall for your children. Be the wall for your loved ones and friends. Through prayer and living out your faith, this sends a message to the spiritual enemy, "Back off! I am a wall for my family! You can't penetrate the wall because it is founded on the Rock of Jesus Christ."