8/16/21

 Test the spirit

            Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.  Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.  Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:1-10

           

            Test the spirit.  Examine the message and the messenger against what you know to be true before accepting the wisdom that is being offered to you.  These are John’s words of advice to the church as new teachings and doctrines are being introduced.  Does the message point to Jesus?  Does it invite us into love?  These are important questions to ask when we listen to sermons or speeches or even the radio.  Scripture says that teachers who spread false teaching will face the wrath of God as they have led His children into sin and destruction.  We are told, both here and in other passages, to be wise and discerning about who we follow.  We are to have ears that recognize God’s voice and ears that recognize lies.  We are accountable for who we choose to influence our views.

            Similarly, test the advice that comes to you concerning your children.  Everyone has parenting advice, whether they have kids or not…whether they have ever met a person with autism or not…whether they like kids or not.  Everyone had advice on how to raise your children.  Sometimes those people are professionals like doctors and therapists and teachers and counselors.  Sometimes they are friends and family.

            You know your child the best.  No one else.  You see them at their best and you see them at their worst.  You have a better window into their escalators and triggers than anyone else.  You know what works to calm them down and you know what they need to work on more than anyone else.  Could someone give you some tools to do a better job?  Certainly.  Could some advice open your eyes to see something or try something that you had never considered before?  Absolutely.  Should you go against your better instincts because someone with a degree has a hunch?  Never.

            We took my son to the doctor to check for food allergies.  It seemed like his behavior would rapidly escalate and we wondered if it had to do with being uncomfortable after he ate something.  We did the test and everything came back negative.  The professionals assured us that food allergies were not the problem.  We were not convinced so we tried going gluten free for a while and saw a dramatic change.  My son was no longer irritable and hyper and super emotional after he ate.  He could sleep better.  He would eat more and so not wake up hungry in the middle of the night.  He was not able to communicate to us that when he ate wheat he was in pain, but that was the story that was played out in front of our eyes.  We brought this back to the doctor and he allowed that sometimes people have a sensitivity to a type of food, but not a full blow allergy.

            Test the advice that comes in.  Does it promote a life that you want to live?  Does the theory line up with the reality that you live in with your child?

            We know our children the best and we will be held accountable for who we allowed to influence our parenting.  Choose well.

A moment to reflect:

Who are the top 3 influences in how you parent your child?  Why did you choose them?