Rhonda J. Smith is a former college speech
instructor & communications coordinator
turned full-time homemaker & journalist. The
writing of this committed wife and mother
who earned her Bachelor’s degree in
journalism and a Master’s degree in
communication from Wayne State University,
Detroit, has been featured in The Detroit
News, Newsday (New York), Chicago
Tribune, Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI),
Guideposts, and Charisma Magazine.
Rhonda frequently speaks at ministry
functions, writes and edits newsletters for
Christian ministries, and teaches public
speaking workshops. Three times a week,
she encourages women to lean on God's
strength instead of their own through her
blog, Musings of a (Recovering) Strong Black
Woman. She, her husband and three sons
attend Evangel Ministries in Detroit, where
they live.
Email Rhonda Smith:
rhonda@eewmagazine.com
Connect on Facebook:
Facebook.com
instructor & communications coordinator
turned full-time homemaker & journalist. The
writing of this committed wife and mother
who earned her Bachelor’s degree in
journalism and a Master’s degree in
communication from Wayne State University,
Detroit, has been featured in The Detroit
News, Newsday (New York), Chicago
Tribune, Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI),
Guideposts, and Charisma Magazine.
Rhonda frequently speaks at ministry
functions, writes and edits newsletters for
Christian ministries, and teaches public
speaking workshops. Three times a week,
she encourages women to lean on God's
strength instead of their own through her
blog, Musings of a (Recovering) Strong Black
Woman. She, her husband and three sons
attend Evangel Ministries in Detroit, where
they live.
Email Rhonda Smith:
rhonda@eewmagazine.com
Connect on Facebook:
Facebook.com
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About the Writer
This object was in direct violation of Scripture that tells us that the Holy Spirit, God in us, gives
us the power to see and understand unknown things (John 14:26). And it violates Exodus 20:4
that commands us not to make anything in God's image.
We explained this to Joshua and told him this was why he couldn't keep his God's Eye or make
another one in class the next week. We wrote his teacher a letter telling her why Joshua was not
to participate in the next project. We had to shut it down despite the frown on Joshua's face.
Later that night he asked me to pray for him because he was "frustrated" about not being able to
keep his God's Eye. Before we prayed I was able to share with him how God had directed me to
throw away from our house pagan items once I realized what they were. Though I discarded
them immediately, one mask I discovered people in one African nation used in agricultural
ceremonies particularly hurt me to part with—it was my favorite, positioned perfectly on my
wall, and had cost me hundreds of dollars.
“See, I know that our decisions to do what God would have us do are not always easy, but we
have to do them anyway,” I said. And he hesitantly smiled widely and shook his head. He knew
what I said to be true and that I understood his conflict of wanting to keep his God's Eye.
Joshua's conflict is one we all know, to some degree, as Christian parents. Perhaps a struggle
presented itself in some way as this school year came to a close. The tension might have
manifested for some while trying to decide what summer activities their children would attend,
or what school they would be entering in the Fall.
Many chose activities only based on convenience: the children participated last year; they are
close to home; the price is right; or their friends are going. Some of us chose or avoided
activities based on fear: we didn't want our children to miss out or "get messed with," so we paid
what wasn't in the budget or kept them at home to ensure their safety. So often, we do what we
shouldn't, or don't do what we should, based on our emotions and not the motion of the Holy
Ghost. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”
(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). We have God's Spirit inside us so we don’t have to make decisions based
on our emotions, which are often based on fear. We have a Spirit that gives us power and the
ability to love and make decisions rooted in stability. But we must allow the Holy Spirit to work
through us.
Prayer, of course, is necessary to hear and follow what God is saying, but there are also some
practical things we can do to help anchor our prayers. One of those things is creating a list of
questions, such as these I've included in this issue of EEW Magazine, to help you focus on
putting the Kingdom first.
Ask:
Sometimes we do need a break from the children, and we don’t want them to be social misfits or
someone's experiment, but we should never decide where our children should go based solely
on convenience or fear. Convenience and healthy caution can and should factor into our
decisions, but not at the risk of ignoring putting the Kingdom first.
Even if you have already made your choices and paid your monies for your summer activities
and school enrollment, you still need to consider how to handle encounters that go counter to
your biblical worldview. God may even be telling you to take a loss and pull your children out
altogether.
So make your list, commit some time to prayer, and see how God is directing you to keep the
Kingdom first.
Did you enjoy Rhonda's column in EEW Magazine. Email her and let her know you were
blessed by what God gave her to share at rhonda@eewmagazine.com!
us the power to see and understand unknown things (John 14:26). And it violates Exodus 20:4
that commands us not to make anything in God's image.
We explained this to Joshua and told him this was why he couldn't keep his God's Eye or make
another one in class the next week. We wrote his teacher a letter telling her why Joshua was not
to participate in the next project. We had to shut it down despite the frown on Joshua's face.
Later that night he asked me to pray for him because he was "frustrated" about not being able to
keep his God's Eye. Before we prayed I was able to share with him how God had directed me to
throw away from our house pagan items once I realized what they were. Though I discarded
them immediately, one mask I discovered people in one African nation used in agricultural
ceremonies particularly hurt me to part with—it was my favorite, positioned perfectly on my
wall, and had cost me hundreds of dollars.
“See, I know that our decisions to do what God would have us do are not always easy, but we
have to do them anyway,” I said. And he hesitantly smiled widely and shook his head. He knew
what I said to be true and that I understood his conflict of wanting to keep his God's Eye.
Joshua's conflict is one we all know, to some degree, as Christian parents. Perhaps a struggle
presented itself in some way as this school year came to a close. The tension might have
manifested for some while trying to decide what summer activities their children would attend,
or what school they would be entering in the Fall.
Many chose activities only based on convenience: the children participated last year; they are
close to home; the price is right; or their friends are going. Some of us chose or avoided
activities based on fear: we didn't want our children to miss out or "get messed with," so we paid
what wasn't in the budget or kept them at home to ensure their safety. So often, we do what we
shouldn't, or don't do what we should, based on our emotions and not the motion of the Holy
Ghost. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”
(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). We have God's Spirit inside us so we don’t have to make decisions based
on our emotions, which are often based on fear. We have a Spirit that gives us power and the
ability to love and make decisions rooted in stability. But we must allow the Holy Spirit to work
through us.
Prayer, of course, is necessary to hear and follow what God is saying, but there are also some
practical things we can do to help anchor our prayers. One of those things is creating a list of
questions, such as these I've included in this issue of EEW Magazine, to help you focus on
putting the Kingdom first.
Ask:
- • How will this activity impact my children's calling?
- • How will this activity affect their spiritual growth?
• What will I need to do to help them maintain a biblical worldview?
• Will the children be able to conduct themselves in a biblical manner?
• What measures am I willing to take when something conflicts with my biblical
- • How does involvement in this activity or school honor God?
Sometimes we do need a break from the children, and we don’t want them to be social misfits or
someone's experiment, but we should never decide where our children should go based solely
on convenience or fear. Convenience and healthy caution can and should factor into our
decisions, but not at the risk of ignoring putting the Kingdom first.
Even if you have already made your choices and paid your monies for your summer activities
and school enrollment, you still need to consider how to handle encounters that go counter to
your biblical worldview. God may even be telling you to take a loss and pull your children out
altogether.
So make your list, commit some time to prayer, and see how God is directing you to keep the
Kingdom first.
Did you enjoy Rhonda's column in EEW Magazine. Email her and let her know you were
blessed by what God gave her to share at rhonda@eewmagazine.com!
Oh, my baby was so happy. He had finally made in his art class a real craft, the only non-paper,
non-duplicated coloring sheet he had his entire third grade year. As soon as he got in the car
when I picked him up, Joshua told me about his masterpiece, describing the intricate yarn-
weaving technique wrapped around two Popsicle sticks positioned in the shape of a cross.
“It's called God's Eye.”
“What did you say?” I asked, wondering if I had heard right.
non-duplicated coloring sheet he had his entire third grade year. As soon as he got in the car
when I picked him up, Joshua told me about his masterpiece, describing the intricate yarn-
weaving technique wrapped around two Popsicle sticks positioned in the shape of a cross.
“It's called God's Eye.”
“What did you say?” I asked, wondering if I had heard right.
“It's called God's Eye.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, knowing that
any object called a body part of God couldn't be
a good thing.
“I don't know. All Ms. Redd said was that it's
called God's Eye. Is that a bad thing?”
“I don't know. We'll ask your dad if he has
heard of it. If not, we'll look it up and see.”
Here's what I found: God's Eye is a spiritual
object thought to be magical, giving "the power
to see and understand things unknown"
(Wikipedia).
“What does that mean?” I asked, knowing that
any object called a body part of God couldn't be
a good thing.
“I don't know. All Ms. Redd said was that it's
called God's Eye. Is that a bad thing?”
“I don't know. We'll ask your dad if he has
heard of it. If not, we'll look it up and see.”
Here's what I found: God's Eye is a spiritual
object thought to be magical, giving "the power
to see and understand things unknown"
(Wikipedia).
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Homeschooling was painfully pleasurable for
me, loving the result of what I really didn't
enjoy doing. Over the course of three and a
half years, my son developed a heart for God,
knew that His word came first and was eager
to apply God's word to his life. My husband
and I were committed home educators. We
knew this is what God wanted until we felt
Him directing us to send Joshua to public
school, specifically saying "Emerson," a
name we weren't familiar with but found to
be the name of an elementary school. If we
weren't sure God told us to send him there,
we would have left already.
The first obstacle was the school trying to
deny him entrance because he was
homeschooled; they wanted us to "prove"
that he should be in the second grade. Since
then, there have been many challenges to
keep the Kingdom first, including one that
happened three weeks ago.
me, loving the result of what I really didn't
enjoy doing. Over the course of three and a
half years, my son developed a heart for God,
knew that His word came first and was eager
to apply God's word to his life. My husband
and I were committed home educators. We
knew this is what God wanted until we felt
Him directing us to send Joshua to public
school, specifically saying "Emerson," a
name we weren't familiar with but found to
be the name of an elementary school. If we
weren't sure God told us to send him there,
we would have left already.
The first obstacle was the school trying to
deny him entrance because he was
homeschooled; they wanted us to "prove"
that he should be in the second grade. Since
then, there have been many challenges to
keep the Kingdom first, including one that
happened three weeks ago.
