A Yellow Refrigerator and an Ole' Screen Door

         Greg and I had the joy of living 11 years in a home that was built the year I was born.  So it was well into its 30^th year when we moved in.

         It didn’t look like all the new homes it had its own character.  In fact we often heard the comment from those who would visit, “this looks just like the house I grew up in!”  We didn’t take these comments as a jab, rather we found them endearing.

         The house had beautiful original hardwood floors.  There was crown molding in every room (even in our closets.)  We lived five homes from the beach, so what would a beach house be without a paneled room. The two favorite characteristics of our 1960’s beach cottage were; the yellow refrigerator and the screen door on the carport entrance.

         Moms some of what we do every day is building character into our children.  Character is described as: The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others. We teach them values that are important to us. We show them how to shake hands and look others in the eye.  We encourage them to be kind to their siblings and share their toys.  We teach them God’s Word and model how to apply it.

         That yellow refrigerator had character.  It didn’t look like the new sleek stainless steel side by side refrigerators.  Our yellow GE never needed to be serviced the entire time we lived there.  It had two big pull out drawers on the bottom for the freezer and swivel-armed shelves in the refrigerator.  The shelves were glass and the parts were all steel.

         Moms the character we are building in our children won’t look like every other family.  It will be unique and distinct to your household.

         The screen door with the spring closure always let me know someone was coming and going.  It made us smile to hear the spring pull.  It was familiar. It was dependable.  Just like the character we build in our babes.

         The character we are building in a Christian home should look a lot like our Savior, our Heavenly Father.  Your child has character just like our yellow refrigerator or our screen door. The point is not that others will feel less than. Rather, they will desire the character of Christ you have instilled in your little ones.

2 Peter 1:5 "...for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character..."(WEY)