“For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you…” – Deuteronomy 23:14
I am something of a safety nut. When asked what I do for a living, I frequently joke that I am the Director of Home Front Security. I am the one who checks the locks on each door and window every night, makes certain everyone wears a seatbelt, and sees to it that every bicycle-riding head is under a helmet. However, this morning I read an interesting article suggesting that guarding the spiritual part of ourselves is of greater importance than protecting the physical parts.
This is not something I had considered before, but I see some truth to it. Our physical bodies are temporary, but our spirit lasts forever and is therefore our most valuable possession. It is what we must nurture, develop and safeguard at all cost. Perhaps more importantly, it is what we need to teach our children to grow and protect.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of giving up my well-earned job title. Protecting my spirit doesn’t mean I want to open myself or my family up to the risks or trauma of physical harm. But I do have a new perspective that expands my role from merely guarding our physical safety to reinforcing our spiritual defenses as well. Perhaps it is time to start teaching my kids to pray scripture in addition to telling God about each day’s events. Or maybe we could work a lesson into our weekly family hikes.
What ideas do you have for strengthening your family’s spiritual defenses?
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