Our culture says we have the “right” to act, think and feel how we want. And to be honest, that’s bled into the Church, including parenting. Speaking for myself, I’ve “understood” the “big feelings” as part of the personality of said person or kid. Free agency gone rogue.

However, if I seek to be made more like Christ in every way (or train up my children to do the same), those feelings, thoughts, actions… every aspect MUST line up as acceptable unto the Lord. God isn’t going to excuse something the misses the mark even a tad bit just because I had a “feeling.”

If my thoughts, my feelings, my actions don’t line up perfectly with Christ, I am not living a righteous life. Praise the Lord I don’t have to do that on my own!! And it will never be achieved by me, or on this earth… it’s all because Christ reconciled me to Himself. He is why I KNOW and have HOPE in Salvation.

And because of that, my response should be the never ceasing strive, daily sacrifice, to bring all thoughts, all feelings, and all actions under the authority of Christ. It’s black and white, plain and simple, and goes against every bit of our culture because it tells us to die to our “man,” ourselves, and conform wholly to Him.