Raising Ladies . . . . or harlots?

     I know, I know . . . .really, Kelli? Harlots? Isn't that a little harsh? I truly wonder. Have you ever heard the phrase that the more you are exposed to something evil, the more acceptable it becomes? Now I am not saying my children are evil . . . definitely not saying that. What I am saying is that the more we see plunging necklines, tight jeans riding barely above (sometimes not even) the butt crack (my personal pet peeve!) the more we become used to it and just say "that's just the way young people dress these days." The more we surround ourselves with sin the more acceptable it becomes.
      A friend of mine just forwarded me her Christmas message and in it she shared a message a pastor had shared with her. The pastor had lit a candle while the overhead lights were on. No one could see the difference that one little candle made. Why? Because they were viewing that light through the eyes of the world. The pastor then plunged the congregation into total darkness: the light from the candle being extinguished as well. The pastor then continued his teachings in the inky blackness for over 10 minutes. Then he lit that one, little candle. All of a sudden the entire sanctuary was a blaze . . .all from the light of that one candle. That one candle, when viewed through the eyes of the world made no difference whatsoever. But when viewed through the truth (the lights in the sanctuary being the world and it's lies, the darkness being the truth (I think we could go deeper and say that the world lives in sin but hey, let's not delve that deep on our first post!). Anyway, when viewed through eyes that have been opened to the truth, all of a sudden that light, that one little bitty light, shined so bright that we could finally see after being in the darkness for so long.
     I believe that the first step we, as parents, must take is to realize that we are the guardians of our children. We are to guard them from harm . . . not just physical and emotional harm, but spiritual harm as well.  I have not always been a follower of the Christian faith. Oh, I pretended to be a Christian. I pretended to follow His word. But come on folks. . . .I have to be honest here. I only followed MY word. I didn't involve my husband in our decisions. I didn't turn to the Bible for guidance. I didn't rely on faith to see me through  the tough spots. I didn't use biblical principals as a tool for raising my daughters. I did NONE of that. I think I felt I could do it all on my own. Mistake number one that most of us make:  WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. 
     The purpose of this blog is to share our experience as we attempt to raise true ladies in this harsh world. During this time we are going to share our personal experiences with you. We are going to share our victories as well as our failures, our "ah ha!" moments as well as our "oh my gosh, we did WHAT?" moments. So stick around and read on my friends. Let's travel together as this family discovers what it takes to raise a true lady in today's unladylike world.
     In closing I want to leave you with this thought: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6

Song choice for today: Casting Crowns "Slow Fade"