I wanted to talk to you about something I find to quickly be gaining traction and it’s becoming a pandemic…in my opinion. Now, I’m NOT talking about covid. A pandemic is usually in reference to a disease that is prevalent over a whole country OR the world. And when we think of diseases, there’s SO many, right? From something as simple as the flu to the vast variants of cancer.
But, the pandemic I am speaking on today is not something you can see…actually, that’s not true because I see it…and maybe you do, too. It’s the pandemic that is becoming systemic and circulating throughout our communities. It is an attack on you, me, our children, and our families as a whole.
We are talking about:
AND we are discussing what the REAL Pandemic is: The Loss of Spiritual Commonsense
You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, or email at courtney@imperfectlypollyanna.com
Hey there! Welcome to the Imperfectly Pollyanna Podcast where we talk about real life, always imperfect but always finding the good whether in faith, homeschooling, or overall life. I am your host, Courtney, a faith filled homeschool mom of 2, licensed medical professional, certified health coach and eternal optimist. I’m so glad you’re here!
I wanted to talk to you about something I find to quickly be gaining traction and it’s becoming a pandemic…in my opinion. Now, I’m NOT talking about covid. A pandemic is usually in reference to a disease that is prevalent over a whole country OR the world. And when we think of diseases, there’s SO many, right? From something as simple as the flu to the vast variants of cancer.
But, the pandemic I am speaking on today is not something you can see…actually, that’s not true because I see it…and maybe you do, too. It’s the pandemic that is becoming systemic and circulating throughout our communities. It is an attack on you, me, our children, and our families as a whole.
Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to bring up an important reference from the Bible. Do you happen to remember when Jesus was in the wilderness and was being tempted by Satan? If not, or even if you do, let me recap…It’s found in Matthew, chapter 4. Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. Now, I find myself thinking “wait, the spirit led him just to let him be tempted?! That’s unfair!” But, I’m not God so let’s see where this is going. So he’s in the wilderness an has fasted for forty days and forty nights. Obviously, as any human would, he was HUNGRY! Satan sees that he is, so he’s like “this is my shot, I’m gonna take him down with using his weakness.” No, that part isn’t in the bible, I’m putting some of my own commentary in here. Satan says to Jesus, “You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Now, we know from other scriptures that He TOTALLY could’ve done that! But instead, He throws some scripture down and replies “It is written: MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
They keep on moving and go into the holy city where Jesus is standing on the pinnacle of the temple. Satan is all “if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS ORDERS CONCERNING YOU and ON THEIR HANDS THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP, SO THAT YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.” Jesus wasn’t having it because He’s all “oh yeah? Well try this scripture out” and tells satan, “on the other hand, it is written: YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.”
Whew! I’m like “GO JESUS, YOU TELL HIM!!” haha.
Then they come to the third temptation where they are on a very high mountain and satan is showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He says “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” I mean…satan is an idiot, for real. He used to be an angel. He knew who God was. And yet he thinks Jesus is gonna give in? So what does Jesus reply with? “Go away Satan! For it is written: YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.” Satan then leaves him, while angels come and begin to serve Him.
I wanted to visit this story because it holds so much weight when it comes to how we need to approach things happening in the world and our individual lives right now. I’ve seen social post after social post that has people in the church bashing one another…then there are those who have turned from the church…turned from God…because they’ve been hurt or felt let down and have been convinced the bible is not true at all. There are people who have made it their life’s work to spread lies…to deceive…to cause turmoil…and then there are people who have been convinced that the world is in control.
The REAL pandemic is the LOSS of SPIRITUAL COMMON SENSE.
I am not a book-smart person. I’m just not. I learned how to memorize information in school to just get by. I need to have certain knowledge for my job, and I’m thankful I’ve had some great people to learn by watching over my career. But man, I just do so much better in the commonsense area.
For example, commonsense should tell you that when you have a baby, you’ll need to do things like feed them, clothe them, eventually teach them how to feed themselves, how to walk, how to do simple life skills. You’ll be their parent for their entire life and you’ve got them in your care for around 18 years…unless you adopted them as an older child or you have one with special needs that will need you longer.
This IS commonsense and common knowledge, right? As a parent, you may have wondered where the instruction book was to raising kids but you do KNOW that it’s your responsibility to raise your child, yes?
Well, the world has lost it’s commonsense because it wants you to be aware that you are OUT of your MIND if you think you’re allowed, or have the mental understanding, to be involved in what type of education your kid receives. Last time I checked, YOU are the parent. YOU are the one who decided what that child ate, drank, when they went to sleep, who got to babysit, when they were allowed to have a sleepover, all the things…so why wouldn’t you be allowed and capable of speaking out about what you are ok with or not?
I’ve seen comments about parents not having a teaching degree and are there to teach our children how to live in the world and be aware of how the world works. I have also seen comments about those parents who are not happy with how the public school system teaches should just send their kid to private school.
I’m going to tell you something. The reason we chose to homeschool initially was due to the fact that 1: we didn’t want our child exposed to certain things at a certain age at public school and 2: we couldn’t afford the private school. Know why we couldn’t afford it? Because we made TOO much money for financial assistance and didn’t make enough for the ridiculous amount of monthly tuition required. That was a sign that we needed to try homeschooling for kindergarten and just go from one year to the next and see where we felt we needed to go. Looking back, that was very evidently God intervening and providing for what He knew we would need in the future, including today’s climate.
I say all that to say that to flippantly tell a parent if they don’t like what’s being taught then to take them to private school or homeschool feels a LOT like the equivalent of when people tell an infertile couple to JUST adopt or JUST relax. It is RUDE. It is uncaring, disrespectful, and not said out of concern or well-being for the child in question.
Not everyone can afford a private school option. Not everyone can drop everything to suddenly homeschool. Is it possible? Of course. Anyone can homeschool and frankly I think more families should be grabbing their kids from out of the system and bringing them to learn in a homeschool environment. However, look at what happened when schools were shut down and kids were having to do virtual school. Parents were completely freaked out and were worried about how to work, help their kids get school done, and stay on top of not allowing the stress to overcome the entire house. They were concerned about how long it would last and what if their children fell behind?
Homeschool can be an absolute beautiful option when a parent has a chance to find the resources and have help for what works best for their family. But it’s not done overnight. Shoot, it took us a few years of trial and error with curriculum to figure out what wasn’t working. It took time to get the idea out of my head that homeschool needed to look like school at home and my kids needed to learn things at the same speed as other kids their age. I had to navigate the questions from well-meaning family members who would ask my son a random question and expect him to know. Or being prepared at wellness checks to list off curriculum we were using as well as extracurricular activities the kids were involved in so that the doctor knew we were doing what we were “supposed to do.”
Many parents have a mind-set that they can’t homeschool because they aren’t smart enough, can’t afford it, don’t have the patience or the desire. Do you know why they think most of those things? Because someone, or many someones, in their life have put those thoughts in their heads.
So now, parents are trying to be involved in their kid’s education the best way they know how to…to speak out when they feel it goes against their morals…to question teaching methods…to show up to meetings and demand answers for why certain things are happening. At the same time, they are being told that, once again, they aren’t smart enough to know or understand the “why” behind what is being taught.
Commonsense…commonsense should have us saying “ENOUGH.” Commonsense should have us standing up for our children because they are OUR children! Parents DO have the right to stand up for their kids. They have a right to speak out about what is being taught. Do they have teaching degrees? Not all of them. So they may not have the book knowledge to automatically know what could help their child with reading, writing, math, science, history, or other subjects. They may not have the perfect lesson plan or know how to teach with the latest technology. But does that mean they have to sit back and take whatever as fact and “the way it has to be”? No!
When your heart is set on God…when you go to Him every day, diving into His Word, and have a relationship with Him…then you have spiritual commonsense that will lead and tell you what type of parenting you need to be doing.
Now, I’m not planning to just address the education system today…in fact, I probably can’t cover everything I want in one episode, but let’s keep diving further…
When it comes to the world, it is so easy to get sucked into its way of thinking. I remember when I was in youth group and the youth leader did an example of having one of us stand on a metal chair while someone else stood on the floor. We were told to try to pull the other person either up on the chair or down to the floor. Commonsense tells you that the person on the floor would have an easier job. It is easier to pull people down than up.
As a child, we are innocent. We think the world is a place where dreams come true and life is full of possibilities. Now, that’s not totally wrong, but reality is we grow up and enter the work field. We enter real life. The people we surround ourselves with make an impact on the way we feel and think. And if we aren’t careful about who we allow in our inner circle, we will be sucked down further and further until we see evil as good and good as evil.
It goes back to what I’ve talked about before. About putting on the full armor of God. If we don’t have it all on then there will be a gap in the armor and we are vulnerable for attacks. If you spend any time watching any videos or reading any hot topic posts on social media, you will see the morals in our world are dissolved. Things are accepted that are very blatantly spelled out as wrong in the bible. But we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. We don’t want to offend. We are told that love is love and we need to love everyone. We are expected to be accepting of any lifestyle, including those who are as confused about their identity as we are.
Commonsense….SPIRITUAL commonsense…when you have your heart and mind set on God…when you have a daily relationship with Him, you will have that armor on, and He will lead you to know what is from HIM and what is evil.
Does that mean we verbally attack anyone who is living in sin. Of course not. Jesus, Himself, said He did not come to condemn the world. So we are not called to do that either. We are called to love. We are called to go to our fellow brother and sisters and address their sin…again, in love. We are called to love God and love others. When we are chosen and become children of God, we are not told “ok, you’re good, go on and live your life however you want, you’re good to go.” No, we are told to still go out into the world and spread the gospel.
But again, it is a LOT easier to give in to our own human desires than to have the spiritual healthy habits we need in order to stay focused. It is easier to hit the snooze button than get up and read our bible. It is easier to memorize the latest Disney song than memorize scripture. It is easier to send our kids to someone else to teach and lead than face our own weaknesses. It is easier to agree with someone than stand up for the right thing. The WORLD is EASIER to live in when we aren’t pushing against the current.
Whenever I have worked with people who are naturally just a negative energy and find themselves looking at the bad more than the good…I find myself grumpier, nitpicking things, tired, mentally exhausted, and basically more like them than I want to be. UNLESS! Unless I take the reigns and make a conscious effort to do the right thing.
If you look through your social media feed and read the posts from your friends…are most of them complaining about something? Are they sharing defensive quotes? Are they speaking words of life? Are they causing your blood pressure to rise? When you close your feed down and walk away, do you feel happier than before you started? Do you feel refreshed? Or do you feel tired, frustrated or even angry?
If you feel worse…do you think that’s affecting your spiritual commonsense in a good way or bad? I know I’ve gotten sucked down the rabbit hole more times that I care to admit and found myself full of anxiety and raised blood pressure. People have lost their minds!
When we get to a point that we think people should be treated differently when they’re sick based on a vaccination decision…we have lost our minds.
When we call someone a derogatory name because they believe something is wrong and say so…we have lost our minds.
When we think that parents should just sit at the back of the room with their mouths shut and do as authority says…we have lost our minds.
When we think that it’s acceptable to allow others to speak out against God and not speak out for those who are still searching for the truth…we have lost our minds.
We have lost our spiritual commonsense.
If you’re in your bible and truly seeking answers…you will find them. When you find them…if you choose to stay silent…you are losing your spiritual commonsense.
See, there’s a way to stand up for the right thing without hurting someone else. Without putting them down or making them feel as though they don’t deserve love. We can go out into the world, speak against the evil, defend our children, and do it in love.
While I’m at it…I want to address the church. Not the church building, but those who are in the church. There are Christians out there who have decided one denomination, or another is full of deceit and lies. There are equally those within that space that have allowed themselves to become so caught up…so focused on their neighbor’s speck that they can’t see from the own plank in their own eye.
Yes, we are to be aware of false teachers and we need to be speaking out with truth.
Yes, we need to be spreading the gospel.
Yes, we need to be correcting when someone distorts the Word of God.
But how can we reach the world…how can we lead our children…if we are so focused on condemning instead of healing? The lost don’t need us to tell them what they’re doing wrong. They need us to let them know that there is a God who loves them despite those choices. They need to know He came to save them…He came because He loved them.
Yet, instead of getting out of our own comfortable little pews and getting down in the trenches with the sinners…we sit on our thrones with our crown of jewels, with an attitude of being better than.
But we are not better than anyone else. We are no better than the sinner. We are no better than the murderers, the adulterers, the liars, the addicts. We are simply forgiven.
When I see posts from friends who are loud about what big churches are doing or saying…I wonder if they are spending that same amount of time condemning them as they are in reaching out to the lost and forgotten. I also wonder how many are simply judging another church because it does something different than they are comfortable with doing in their own church. Why would the world want to come sit next to us Sunday morning if we are shouting at each other between the pews? Not literally, of course. But if all we post on social media is about what another denomination is doing wrong or how bad someone is because of the choices they are making…what would make someone want to come to the Lord?
How are we leading our children in our words and actions? Are we allowing the world to influence them more than we are? Do you feel like there’s not really a choice at this point because you can’t keep them in a bubble?
Your kids, no matter the age, are still watching and listening to you…even if you don’t feel like they are. Do they see you using spiritual commonsense? Do they see you living the life you preach about on social media? Are they seeing you speak up for the lost?
You can’t save the world. There’s only ONE who can do that. But you CAN do one thing…start in your home.
We are not perfect and will never be while on this earth. We won’t always make the right choices. We won’t always have the perfect words to say. We are all human and make mistakes.
But we CAN keep trying. We can work to improve every day…to get 1% better. Can I do that? Can you? Can we make our focus on getting up every day, making deliberate efforts to improve? It doesn’t mean we get it right every single time. But it does mean making the decision to create a habit of building up our spiritual commonsense…
It does mean standing up for our children and not allowing the words from others to speak into our thoughts. It means taking what someone says and weighing it against the truth. Whether that be with our children’s education, our rights as parents, our health choices, lifestyle choices, sins of the world, sins of our own lives, words we speak against other Christians…
Back at the beginning of this episode, I brought up the story of Jesus being tempted 3 times in the wilderness. Do you know how He overcame it all? By KNOWING the Word and speaking it. He didn’t doubt because He didn’t listen to what Satan was trying to spin. We cannot have spiritual commonsense if we aren’t making the effort to improve every day. We improve every day by starting with our own hearts and our own homes.
If you feel something nudging you to make a change in your home…or perhaps you feel something pushing you to speaking out about something…pray about it and then go. We can pray all day but if we don’t put things into practice, then what’s the point? We can throw our hands up with worry, but if we aren’t willing to take a step of faith, to make the changes necessary, what do you think will happen? Nothing.
We are not called to just sit back and be happy to be saved. We are not called to allow others to raise our children. We are not called to put up with the sins of the world or to tear down other believers. We are called to stand up, speak out, lead our children, and love like He has loved us.
It doesn’t mean it will be easy. In fact, if I were a betting person, I’d be willing to bet that it will, in fact, be some of the hardest moments of your life. But the thing is, hard doesn’t mean not being led. Hard doesn’t mean you give up. When you are doing what you have been led to do, you will be given the strength you need and you won’t be alone. You will be given wisdom, clarity, and of course…spiritual commonsense.
I’m hoping this podcast finds those needing support or encouragement. If that’s you, you’ve found a friend! If you’ve connected to this episode in any way, I’d love you to share it with someone you know and care about. It’s time to get 1% better and I hope you’ll continue showing up as we find the good together. Remember, you are loved and I am GLAD you’re here! See you next time!