Mundane Life | My Son Having Fun In The Swimming Pool And A Lesson From Jephthah

It's Boxing Day but some people have to go to work because it is Tuesday. My husband @rencalson is still on his one-week-long holiday and so do the kids who are on their end-of-year school term break. Yesterday me and @rencalson made a plan to visit a neighboring park this morning but we changed our mind because we needed to clean the house. The house hasn't been cleaned for several days and since I'm very particular about hygiene we have to set aside time to do it. So, we rescheduled our trip to the park for tomorrow and spent a couple of hours in the morning doing house chores.

❤️ Accompanying My Son Swimming In The Pool ❤️

After the chores, I remembered that I promised my son to go swimming so off we went. We lived in an apartment complex that had access to a swimming pool. I didn't swim though but I sat somewhere nearby on a bench watching him having fun in the water.

The morning sky was so clear and blue. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning. Many of our neighbors were still on their holidays so it was rather quiet than usual.

❤️ Lesson From The Book of Judges - Jephthah ❤️

While watching my son playing in the water I was reminded of the insight I gained from my Bible reading this morning. I had been reading from the Book of Judges.

The Book of Judges is primarily about the period after Joshua's leadership, focusing on Israel's time before the Israelite kingdom was established. It details the stories of various Israel leaders appointed by God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors. One such leader was a man called Jephthah who made a vow to God before going off to war against the Israelites' enemy, the Ammonites.

Jephthah made a vow to God, promising that if he won this war, he would sacrifice the first thing that greeted him upon his return home. Tragically, the first to greet him upon his return was his only daughter, his one and only child.

A human sacrifice. Human sacrifice is prohibited under the Mosaic Law but Jephthah was influenced by the (pagan) Canaanites' practice of human sacrifice. The vow was made in a time of apostasy and ignorance of God's Word. Jephthah had to fulfill his vow and sacrificed his daughter...imagine his regret and anguish...

I put myself in his shoes, making a vow to God, trying to manipulate Him to do what I want but ended up sacrificing my son...my daughter. Jephthah's story took place some 3 millennia ago but it is often cited as a cautionary tale about making rash vows and the tragic consequences they can bring. It taught me that a zeal without knowledge could be dangerous. It also taught me that ignorance of God's Word (the Bible) could have tragic consequences.

But you don't have to believe in the Bible to learn from Jephthah's mistake because as parents we sometimes make stupid decisions that could harm our kids, and our families.

❤️ Kids Doing Homework And Revision ❤️

The rest of the day went well. After lunch, the kids watched Toy Story and sometime after 3PM, I told them to do their homework and revision.

That's it from me today. As mentioned, we are planning to go to a neighboring park tomorrow morning. I hope we will have good weather or else we will have to spend another day at home 😅

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Note: All images used belong to me unless stated otherwise.

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