Costco Removes Roundup

Watch the following video by Zen Honeycutt from Moms Across America. Zen announces the Costco decision to stop selling glyphosate based herbicides, like Roundup!

Costco’s action comes after of the 2018 court case where glyphosate was shown to be the cause of the cancer suffered by Dewayne Johnson. This decision was upheld when it was appealed by Monsanto. Now public pressure needs to continue so that Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and others will stop selling this cancer causing product.

But why does the Environmental Protection Agency (EPS) continue to allow glyphosate herbicides to be sold in the USA? Zen explains a recent paper which analyzes previous EPA studies and reviews of glyphosate. The EPA cherry picks data to try to show glyphosate is NOT genotoxic. When an lysis of unbiased, non industry funded science is examined, there is clear evidence of harm. https://hygeia-analytics.com/…/2019-paper-on…/

Is cancer the only risk posed by glyphosate containing herbicides like Roundup?

Many are unaware that 1 in ±3.5 Americans now suffer with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A recent study shows that rats developed NAFLD from chronic exposure to ultra low doses of glyphosate based herbicides such as Roundup. Could the widespread use of glyphosate which ends up in our food supply, be the reason for the epidemic of NAFLD? https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39328

GMWatch has some good news to report. In 2018 there have been landmark victories in India, Europe, and USA: https://www.gmwatch.org/…/18697-a-year-in-review-part-1…

Further good news is that France BANS glyphosate containing Roundup!!! https://www.fwi.co.uk/…/france-bans-monsanto-weedkiller…

But Canada continues to stand firmly behind Monsanto and relicenses glyphosate!! https://www.fwi.co.uk/…/canada-stands-by-decision-to…

Costco is not perfect. Many people criticize large box stores because of a perceived (or real) negative impact. We live in an imperfect world and we all have to make choices with the options we have available. I don’t have a Costco membership, but sometimes shop there when visiting my family. I think it is good that Costco is taking a stand and discontinuing the sale of glyphosate containing herbicides. I wish more retailers – like Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot would follow their example. Action taken by these large stores could significant reduce glyphosate exposure to the public. What do you think?

Compiled by Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, health seeker and reporter. Seeking truth can be challenging, but better than staying ignorant!

Is Measles a Threat?

With all the measles hype, I needed to compile information so parents can have confidence in the decisions they make for their children.

Worried about Measles?

Did you know 10-13 people die each year from a falling vending machine?? 

Or, that 450 die each year by falling out of bed??

Your chances of dying of measles symptoms in America is miniscule. There has been less than 1 death per year from complications arising from a measles infection in the last 8 years.

Furthermore, in 1960 prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, the rate of measles deaths in the US population of 179,300,000 was .0000021, hardly a threat.

If you have adequate Vitamin A, your chance of dying from a deficiency is ZERO.

A healthy well nourished baby/child with adequate vitamin A levels may contract measles, but it will result in a mild infection which will then provide life-long natural immunity. Even Dr Paul Offit had measles!

Watch this 8 minute video of “Measles Back in the Day” to understand how society viewed a measles infection.

Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, even doctors and scientists considered measles to be a mild, mostly benign illness. Read a description of measles from 1959, published in the British Medical Journal.

Did you know that historically there has always been opposition to vaccines? Parents, please do your own research. Why is the media pushing us to fear a measles infection? Why are we not told about the risk of harm from the vaccine? Some groups of children are more susceptible to harm, yet the public is not informed. Find a list of Pubmed articles at the end of this blog showing measles autism associations. http://vaccinecommonsense.com/2016/03/15/back-in-the-1870s-this-battle-for-medical-freedom-is-ongoing/

Did you know that there is a wealth of scientific papers demonstrating that Vitamin A protects against measles and reduces the impact of the illness? A list is provided at the end of this blog. Studies also show that having a measles infection as a child can have a protective benefit against certain types of cancers.[1]

Amidst all the hype about the danger of measles, what is the message pushed on the public? GET YOUR VACCINE. Yet, very little to nothing is said about the real risk of vaccine injury. The following graphic illustrates the actual reports of injury and death in the USA from the MMR vaccines as reported to the VAERS – a system which is estimated by a Harvard study to receive between 1-10% of actual events occurring after vaccines. Compare these statistics to the risk of death from measles of .0000021.

To be fair, those who receive a MMR vaccine – which contains a live virus – may receive some immunity for a limited amount of time, but the immunity wanes requiring ‘booster’ vaccines. As the data from VAERS clearly demonstrates, there are many risks associated with the MMR, MMRII and ProQuad vaccines – all routinely given to our babies and children. There is a link to the Merck MMRII vaccine package insert at the end of this blog. I always encourage parents to read the complete vaccine package insert for any vaccine they are considering giving to their baby/child.

There are serious concerns about the human DNA fragments in the MMMR vaccine because the virus was grown using aborted human fetal cell lines. This is both an ethical, religious and medical concern. Other vaccines that contain human DNA fragment debris are Hepatitis A, varicella (chickenpox), Pentacel, Rubella, and shingles vaccines.

So what’s your best strategy to help your baby/child stay healthy and avoid a serious measles infection? Boost your immune system and pay attention to vitamin A!

Boost your natural sources of vitamin A like sweet potatoes, grass fed organic (if possible) liver, and other foods high in vitamin A.

We all want healthy babies. We need to be extremely careful that we are not deceived and fall into the traps of those who seek to profit from our children.

I’m 76. When I was a child, people knew what to do when someone got the measles. Stay calm, preferably in bed in a darkened room so your eyes wouldn’t be harmed. Definitely stay out of the sun – anyway that is what my parents and grandparents did with us. We all got measles. No harm at all came to any of us, to our cousins, or to our friends. J Storey

Compiled by Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, truth activist. Navigating health information can be confusing. Becky writes and speaks because of her faith in Jesus Christ and her desire to warn parents of potentially harmful modern medical recommendations. Becky receives no renumeration for this work! While there is a ‘donate’ button this website, it has yet to be tested!

[1] The Unreported Health Benefits of Measles http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/unreported-health-benefits-measles

A short list of papers on Vitamin A and measles infections:

Vitamin A reduces both morbidity and mortality in children 6mo – 5y
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28282701/

Vitamin A reduces pneumonia symptoms in measles cases of Zambian children (2002)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12468610/

Low vitamin A IMPACTS severity of measles – known since 1992. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/516043

Complication rates are increased by immune deficiency disorders, malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency (2004) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15106083/

A 25 yo man with severe measles improved after IM vitamin A administration. Vitamin A deficiency is a known risk factor for measles. (2017)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29390321/

A study from Africa showing vitamin A deficiency associated with increased mortality, with a greater effect in boys than in girls. (2012)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22239846/

“Measles is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Vitamin A deficiency is a recognized risk factor for severe measles infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends administration of an oral dose of vitamin A (200,000 international units (IU), or 100,000 IU in infants) each day for two days to children with measles when they live in areas where vitamin A deficiency may be present…two doses were associated with a reduced risk of mortality and pneumonia-specific mortality in children under the age of two years.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16235283

Malnourished are most at risk for fatality from measles infectionshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9345118

More information on the actual rate of measles http://vaxtruth.org/2012/01/measles-perspective/

Measles overviewhttps://www.nvic.org/vaccines-and-diseases/measles/measles-detailed-overview.aspx

We hear repeatedly ‘there is no science that shows vaccines cause Autism’, yet we can read these government published studies which implicate vaccines as a cause of Autism:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878266/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623535
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25377033
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24995277
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12145534
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058170
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22099159
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3364648/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17454560
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19106436
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774468/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3697751/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21299355
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21907498
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11339848
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17674242
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21993250
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15780490
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12933322
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16870260 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19043938
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12142947
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24675092
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25198681

Merck MMRII vaccine package insert https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf

What’s in Vitamin K???

You may be skeptical about this information. That’s good. I encourage you to be skeptical. Here are a lot of links you can study and draw your own conclusions. Thanks to Lowell Hubbs

URGENT: If you do nothing else, please watch this 8 minute video which explains WHY the vitamin K shot was added as standard birth practice after the introduction of the Hepatitis B shot at birth in the USA. Allison Jones gives a clear thorough chemical analysis of the ingredients and explains how they impact the body. What are we doing to our precious newborns on the first day of life? The ‘vitamin K’ shot contains the same ingredients found in moth balls and is injected into our babies to hide the harm caused by the 50 lb dose of injected Hepatitis B vaccine recommended for every baby. Every person who understands this process will refuse. Please share with unsuspecting parents.

If that video didn’t convince you, Check out the following information:

VaxXed Stories: Dr. Suzanne Humphries in this 13 minute video talks about Cord Clamping & Vitamin K. Her time as a volunteer in Guatemala shaped how she views childbirth, particularly regarding delayed cord-clamping and Vitamin K.

Here’s more:

Vitamin K Shot ‘Ruins Family’s Life’
http://vaxxter.com/vitamin-k-shot-ruins-familys-life/
Consider the Dangers of Vitamin K Shot at Birth: And the Simple Solution
http://joettecalabrese.com/…/consider-dangers-vitamin-k-sh…/
Synthetic vitamin K shot for my baby? No thanks
http://www.livingwhole.org/synthetic-vitamin-k-shot/
How Toxic Are Vitamin K and Hepatitis B Injections?
https://thevaccinereaction.org/…/how-toxic-are-vitamin-k-a…/
SUBJECT: Newborns: Vitamin K Injection Dangers
http://legaljustice4john.com/jaundiceVitKshotNewborns.htm
Skip that Newborn Vitamin K Shot
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/skip-that-newborn…/
Should My Newborn Get A Vitamin K Shot?
http://www.mommypotamus.com/newborn-vitamin-k-shot/
Vitamin K
http://www.whale.to/y/vitk.html
Research Article
BMJ 1992; 305 dos: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.305.6849.341 (Published 08 August 1992)
Cite this as: BMJ 1992;305:341
Childhood cancer, intramuscular vitamin K, and pethidine given during labour.
CONCLUSIONS–The only two studies so far to have examined the relation between childhood cancer and intramuscular vitamin K have shown similar results, and the relation is biologically plausible. The prophylactic benefits against haemorrhagic disease are unlikely to exceed the potential adverse effects from intramuscular vitamin K. Since oral vitamin K has major benefits but no obvious adverse effects this could be the prophylaxis of choice.
Read more:
http://www.bmj.com/content/305/6849/341

Previous blogs on the topic of vitamin K:

Compiler: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, avid reader, health promoter. I seek the truth available through Jesus Christ and try my best to live it and share it. This information is highly significant. Please share.

2 Doctors: Who Do You Trust?

Watch this 3 minute video. Listen to Dr Offit answer a question by a pharmaceutical student who is concerned about protecting her customers from flu vaccine harm. Then hear Dr Moss report on actual flu vaccine injuries. 60% of all vaccine related injuries compensated by the VICP are for flu shots. A total $4Billion has been paid since 1988 for vaccine related injuries and death.

2 Doctors, two points of view. One doctor has been mentored by the ‘godfather’ of vaccines, Dr Stanley Plotkin. Both Dr Plotkin and Dr Offit received many millions of dollars upon the sale of their rota virus vaccine, although the exact amount has not been publicly disclosed. Dr Offit has ongoing ties to pharmaceutical corporations such as Merck. His livelihood is founded on his belief that vaccines are “safe and effective”. They are certainly safe and effective for him. Since vaccines are 100% liability free, he’s been safe from any claim on either the vaccine he designed and brought to market, or the vaccines marketed by his sponsor. They have also been very effective – effective at giving him a lifestyle, notoriety, and platform for pronouncing his message supporting vaccines.

Is that the kind of safety and effectiveness you are looking for in a vaccine?

Dr Moss took his personal time to speak before the West Virginia legislature. He donates a lot of time to try to help people understand that there is a risk with every vaccine injected. He has studied the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program payouts and injuries listed. He has studied the VAERS data base for reporting vaccine adverse events which was shown by a Harvard study to contain between 1%-10% of actual adverse events after vaccines. Most doctors and families are not aware of this reporting system and do not report adverse events.

Here is another brief video of Dr Moss giving testimony on hospital vaccination incentives and flu shot requirements at the West Virginia Education Committee the morning of Saturday, March 18, 2017. He might not be the most eloquent spokesperson, but you can feel the compassionate heart of this doctor. He has 34+ years of experience in providing true care for his patients.

I’m surprised to say I 100% agree with Dr Offit’s final statement in the following short video clip:

“It’s always the most vulnerable among us who pay for our ignorance.”

Have truer words ever crossed his lips?

I strongly disagree with many other statements Dr Offit makes such as this one, Paul Offit literally just said, “A scraped knee is a bigger immunological challenge than a vaccine” for a child!

As a parent, your most important job is to protect your child. There are forces in this world that want to devour your child. You might not believe this could happen in 2019. Get the facts. Research. Since 1986 vaccines have been 100% Liability Free. No entity is held responsible for any vaccine harm or even for death. Think about that. If there were 5 car seat manufacturers, and you are forced to accept their products, yet their products are 100% Liability Free, how would you feel? Do you think those car seat manufacturers are going to be motivated to higher safety standards?

We live in a corporate dominated world. Corporations rule most aspects of life in the USA. Corporations exist to make a profit for their shareholders. They are the largest force in the media. They dominate Congress in the USA and many other countries. The only person responsible for your child’s longterm health and well being is you. Research vaccines.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a life & wellness coach, Becky seeks to inspire and motivate others to find increased energy, joy, and longevity. Navigating information to achieve long-term health goals in every area of life is a passion! Becky writes, speaks, and shares information hoping to educate parents on the anomalies and contradictions in the vaccine debate.

Pinto Liability

A guest post by someone I admire a lot: Marcella Piper-Terry

In 1978, my (then) husband bought a used 1976 Ford Pinto for me to drive back and forth to work. It was cheap on gas and very affordable. I was 3 months into my first pregnancy; I didn’t have any babies yet, so the small size and two-door design were not a problem.
It was light metallic silver in color.

Within a month of purchasing the Pinto, I was in two separate accidents.

The first accident occurred when I was struck broadside (on the passenger side) when a woman pulled out from a stop sign. She said she didn’t see me. It was an overcast day and the color of the car may have had something to do with it, since it did kind of blend in with the color of the road. The entire passenger side of the car was damaged, and it was in the shop for 3 weeks.

The day after I got the car out of the shop, I was on my way to work. I was running late, and had just passed a car on the two-lane highway that I drove every day as I traveled from home to work and back again. I was going about 60 mph when I looked down and saw a bee crawling up my thigh. I am allergic to bees. For me, it might just as well have been a snake. Panic took over, and instead of slowing to a stop and getting out of the car (as I would now), I swiped at the bee with my right hand, trying to knock it off and hoping it would fly out the window. When I swiped with my right hand, my left hand, which was on the steering wheel, followed suit and I ended up off the side of the road. I looked up and saw a telephone pole in front of me and jerked the wheel to the left, which sent me across the highway and into a ditch. I walked away from the accident. The front end of the car was badly damaged. I don’t know what happened to the bee, but I wasn’t stung. Within 24 hours I started bleeding and a week later, I lost the baby. I was 4 months pregnant and went through 7 hours of labor.

We got rid of the Pinto.

What neither of us knew at the time is that there was a fatal design flaw in that car. It had nothing to do with my two accidents, but that design flaw did end up killing somewhere between 27-180 people, depending on which report one reads.

I survived the crashes in my Pinto because the impacts in my accidents were sustained on the side and the front of the car. If I had been hit from behind, I might not be here.

The memory of my month as a Ford Pinto owner has been flashing in my mind over the last few days. It came to me as I was thinking about how people make statements about vaccine-injury; specifically, “My children are fully vaccinated and they don’t have autism. Therefore, vaccines do not cause autism.”

I drove a 1976 Ford Pinto. I was in two accidents; both of which could have been deadly. I survived. The reason I survived is because not ALL of the factors were right to produce a fatal outcome. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen to those people who died.

Because this all kept coming to me over the last few days, I did a search yesterday and found this YouTube clip about the Ford Pinto Case, posted by ethics workshop:

Ford Pinto’s fatal design flaws

Ford knew about the design flaw and they decided to go forward with the production of the Pinto without fixing it because it would have cost $11 per car to implement a new design. That cost would have been passed along to buyers, with the increase added to the purchase price. Ford opted not to fix the problem in order to keep the cost lower, thereby benefiting the larger number of customers, while placing a smaller number of buyers at serious risk.

“There’s going to be a lot of suffering, but only for a very few people.” 

Does that sound familiar?

“The benefits of vaccination to society outweigh the risks of serious adverse reactions to those relatively few people who suffer them.”

During the process of determining whether or not to fix the Pinto’s design problem, Ford looked at the issue from a monetary perspective. They calculated the probable number of deaths (180) and severe burn injuries (180), and the amount of money they would have to pay for each. In 1970, the United States Government placed the value of a human life at $200,000. With inflation, that number would be $1.2 Million today.

As I watched and listened to the Pinto Case video, I couldn’t help drawing the parallels with the vaccine industry and with the Institute of Medicine’s decision in 2004, not to pursue research that would identify which groups of children are more vulnerable to serious vaccine-injury. They know those children exist. They have chosen not to look for them, making the decision instead to protect the vaccine program at all costs.

There are a lot of things that really bother me about this, but as I sit here trying not to make this into a novel, here are the top three…

1. In 1970, the U.S. Government valued human life at $200,000. In today’s dollars, that would be $1.2 MILLION. Yet, when a vaccine kills someone, the maximum amount that can be recovered through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is $250,000.
2. When Ford’s product killed someone, Ford paid for the damage. When a vaccine kills someone, taxpayers pay. The government has chosen to protect vaccine manufacturers from liability. Therefore, there is no incentive for them to make a safer product.
3. In the 1970s, gasoline shortages were pushing gas prices higher. There were long lines at the pumps. There was talk of rationing gas. That’s why Ford made the Pinto in the first place. (Japanese car makers were also beating Ford to the punch and they wanted to cash in on the opportunity.) Everyone was encouraged to use less, drive less, and conserve.
Thankfully, the government didn’t mandate everyone to drive a Ford Pinto.

Vaccines are unavoidably unsafe (Supreme Court, 2011).
Some people are at increased risk of death and disability from vaccines, but those people have been deemed “acceptable collateral damage” by our government agencies.
The government has known for at least a year about allegations of fraud and destruction of evidence at The CDC.
TinyURL.com/PoseyTellsCongress  

They are choosing NOT to act and NOT to investigate, while laws to increase mandatory vaccination of all children are increasing at record speed.

Is your child at increased risk of vaccine-injury?
The only way for you to know is to research for yourself and take responsibility for the decisions you make on behalf of your child.
No one else is going to do it.
If you make the wrong choice, you will be on your own.

Here is a post I wrote on VaxTruth, which may be helpful:
http://vaxtruth.org/2015/02/my-child-at-risk/

#VaxXed
#HearUs
#RiseUp
#ParentsDoTheWork

Blog compiler: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a life & wellness coach, Becky seeks to inspire and motivate others to find increased energy, joy, and longevity. Navigating information to achieve long-term health goals in every area of life is a passion! Becky writes, speaks, and shares information hoping to educate parents on the anomalies and contradictions in the vaccine debate.

Death via vaccine

Every baby who dies is a heartbreaking tragedy. But I find it especially disturbing when a healthy baby is given a ‘preventative’ round of vaccines and dies.

#notsafe
#betrayal
#regulatoryagenciescompromised
#CDCwhistleblower
#CDCmalfeasance

Aviana passed away 12 hours after her 4-month vaccines. Her death is now being investigated by the federal vaccine court – which has paid out about $4 BILLION since it was established in 1988 to provide compensation to families when a child is injured or killed because of vaccines. The number of injuries reported to VAERS is estimated by Harvard to be only 1-10% of the accurate number of children injured.

Listen to Aviana’s story as told by her mother in this short video:
www.TinyURL.com/RIPAviana

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 25 years, Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety. Becky loves mountain biking and appreciates donations, which mainly encourage her.

Common Sense for New Parents

Every parent – well 98% – want what is best for their baby. But it is confusing to know WHAT is BEST?

In this 5 minute video I share my heart with new parents. Don’t take my word for it. Investigate everything I say. Get to know the reasons people think vaccines are a good idea. Get to know the body of evidence that shows there is more unintended harm from vaccines than is generally acknowledged by government regulatory bodies.

Learn discernment. Take your time. Delay your decision until you are absolutely sure that what you are doing has been proven to be safe – beyond any shadow of doubt. Your baby is worth it. Your baby will thank you.

Take more time to research vaccines than the time you take to decorate baby’s room; more than research car seats; more than researching the latest cell phone. This could be the single most important decision you make for your child. You can do this. You can read the vaccine package inserts and understand exactly what the ingredients are in the vaccines. Ask questions. Don’t rely on ‘expert’ opinion. Only you, as the parents, will live 100% with the consequence of your choice. There is no ‘do over’. No second chance.

All my love,

Becky

ps I’ve prepared a ‘table of contents’ if you’d like to explore more information on vaccines.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

 

Parenting 101: Raising Little Sinners

watching-the-sun-set-croppedIs there an approach to parenting that is 100% guaranteed to help me raise the type of children I desire? Is there a magic method of getting my children to respect my words and comply with my instructions as a parent?

Grandparenting must be one of the most wonderful roles a person could ever have in life. I LOVE spending time with my grandchildren, every one of them is delightful in a unique way, and they are teaching me so much!

After having my five and three year old grandchildren come for ‘four sleepovers with Granny and Grandpa’, without their parents, I have arrived at a clearer understanding of the word sin and the primary struggle of parenting. Of course I experienced these issues many times in raising my five children, but this fresh immersion into parenting brought some vivid reminders.

Sin is an uncomfortable word for most of us. We don’t easily see ourselves as sinners. The word ‘sinner’ sounds like an extremely heinous description of ‘bad’ people. Sin is actually a lot simpler and a lot subtler; the essence of sin is simply wanting our own way. We are born with a desire to get what we want and to pursue our own desires, with little thought for the needs of others. As we grow older, most of us get trained to some degree or another that we need to also respect other people in our lives, but that does not come naturally.

What does God say about sin? Sin is the thing that separates us from God. Sin prevents us from the loving connection He wants most to have with us. Sin is ignoring God’s sovereignty over us, as our Designer and Creator, and saying, “I have a better plan.” Sin is thinking God’s desires for me will limit me, but I will find happiness through pursuing the things I think will bring satisfaction.

Why is parenting so difficult? Because we are raising little sinners. Little independent people who have their own ideas about what will bring them satisfaction. Some of these little people seem to have a personality that wants to buck every single event or decision throughout the course of a day. Others may be mostly agreeable, but every once in awhile their independence will exert itself. Why can’t children just be agreeable? Why don’t they understand that we only want what is best for them, that we have years of experience that has given us insight, understanding, and wisdom for every decision we make? Why don’t they just eat the healthy food we provide? Why don’t they immediately respond when we have given them warnings and prepared them for the fact that a fun activity must now end? Why do they sometimes randomly physically attack their sibling?

Why do we feel like we are in a constant battle to see who is in charge in this relationship? Why can’t they just accept our authority?

Have I done something wrong? Am I a bad parent? Did I miss a window of “training” at a certain age?

Should I have spanked my children? Should I have spanked my children more? Should I have not spanked my children? Is there a formula for raising compliant “yes, ma’am” children that I missed? Did I read the wrong books? Did I follow the wrong advisors?

What is the answer? Is there actually an answer?

How did God ‘parent’ His people?

God’s kindness towards us leads us to repentance. Repentance is the goal. Repentance means getting off the train heading for “my way” and boarding the train heading to “God’s destination.” Every sermon given by the early followers of Jesus, which we read in the book of Acts, explains the necessity of repentance. As parents, or grandparents, our goal should be to gently help our children or grandchildren to understand what repentance looks like, and why it is desirable.

Having a “see I told you so” attitude, while very tempting, generally doesn’t lead a child toward repentance. Repentance involves a bending of our will towards God’s will. God never forces us. As parents we are often tempted to force our children to our will. This may seem to work for some children, yet this adage is true for adults and children, “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Our goal in training children is not a compliant child. Our goal is a child with a heart that delights in God and obeying Him.

Some parenting techniques may result in a very well behaved young child. However, our goal should not focus entirely on the moment, but should also consider the long term. When I think in terms of raising a well adjusted thirty something adult, my interactions with my child may be significantly impacted. The methods of achieving my goal require a longer commitment. Sometimes having a long-term view can result in momentary embarrassment, especially in a public setting where there are people who may judge my child or me unsatisfactorily. My goal is not to please the public audience around me. My goal is not personal pride in a ‘well-behaved’ little child. My goal is raising a human being with a deep knowledge of His Creator, an understanding of their own propensity towards their own direction, and a humble submission to seeking God and His way.

Parenting with these goals is not an easy task. The other problem I face is that I am also a sinner. I naturally desire my own way. I easily fall prey to pride and judgment. It’s hard for me to see my sin or my pride. I am a sinner, raising little sinners. In my parenting journey I also need to repent. I need to get off my train toward my own perceived destination for my children, and myself and get on the train that takes me towards God’s outcome. How do I do this? Parenting requires a daily surrender and a daily seeking of wisdom from God, through His Word, and laying down my own ways. Parenting is trusting God in the way we desire our children would trust and respond to us. Parenting is modeling for our children what trusting God looks like.

Acknowledging that I will never be a perfect parent and my children will never be perfectly obedient takes a huge weight off of my shoulders. Trying to force perfection on our children or ourselves is a source of extreme stress.

Jesus wants so much more for us. He wants to refresh us with His presence. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Boldly

Baby Dad silhouetteThrough our faith in Christ
We can come boldly
And confidently
Into the presence
Of God.

Think about that.

One would think
That God’s presence
Would evoke fear, or
Guilt;
Feelings of inadequacy;
Thoughts of judgment;
and punishment deserved.
Not measuring up, comparison,
Lack of blessing, shame,
A remembrance of rules, laws, punishment.

Yes, God gave the law
As a guide,
Fully knowing how impossible
It would be
For us to keep it.
The purpose of the law
Was to show our inability to keep it,
No matter how hard we try.

Yet Christ’s death
Abolished the law,
Allowing us to enter
Boldly,
Confidently,
Into the very presence
Of God.

Awesome.

_DSC7099Becky Hastings, a forgiven, cleansed sinner who rejoices while boldly approaching God! Also, a wife, mom, grandmother, health promoter, breastfeeding counsellor (helping moms for 22+ years), and someone who seeks to research, understand and share truth so people can make wise choices in our crazy mixed up, deceived world!

Last Days?

DespairIn the last days there will be very difficult times
For people will love only themselves and their money.
They will consider nothing sacred (e.g. the lives of babies and children).
They will be cruel and hate what is good.
They will be puffed up with pride and
Love pleasure rather than God.
They oppose the truth.
They take advantage of people’s fears and weakness.
Evil people and imposters will flourish.
They will deceive others and
Will themselves be deceived.

How do we live in such times?
Seek Jesus Christ through His word, the Scriptures.
You will find comfort and protection from evil. (2 Timothy 3)
God is at work in the midst of this evil generation.
He is raising an army of truth warriors.
“Why are you frightened?”
“Why are your hearts filled with doubt?”
Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
They were filled with GREAT JOY. (Luke 24: 45 & 52)

Becky on stageAuthor: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!