i am hoping that anyone who choses to visit me and read about our daily lives will comment to this post. i have been having an internal...struggle doesn't seem like the right word. maybe...i don't know...anyway. lately i have been asking myself how much i'm supposed to be sharing with my children in relation to God. (I know yall are screaming at me "fool!! everything!!) but please understand, that like authors i read and even some of my bloggy mommy friends seem to be including God into every aspect of raising their children. and i LONG to do that. but i think i'm not even sure what to do a lot of times. by that, i mean, we pray with them at "required" praying times (ya know, before supper and at bedtime) and we sing songs and we go to church and work on memory verses...but i get the feeling that isn't enough. i feel like i could do so much more to help them to become who they are meant to be. but the problem is that i don't think i ever got more than what was listed above. i don't remember ever actually talking about God, our relationship with Him or having had Biblical instruction used along side discipline. Obviously i got the "this is right/this is wrong", but not actually "the Bible says...". i knew how we lived as a family and what we believed in, but i feel like i got more from our church and camp than i did at the knees of my parents. and i'm not talking bad about them, b/c without them, i certainly wouldn't be who i am and i would have never met my hubs--both of us were always very picky and it was of extreme importance to us to marry within our own faith--and my children wouldn't know what they do at the tender ages of almost 5 & 3. (i feel like i'm not making any sense at ALL!!) *just a note, just because i don't remember it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. i don't remember a lot of things before i was about 7.* we were at church everytime the doors were open (thanks parents), i was extremely involved in our youth group and if camp was going on and i could be there, then honey, the money must be paid b/c i was going!! (again, thanks parents. i think my personal best was 4 weeks one summer...) anyway, all that to say, or to ask, what are you doing to ensure that your "safe" children of God become saved children of God? we only have them for such a short time and i want to know that i'm doing everything i can before turning them over to someone else, ya know?? how do you discipline your kids using God's instruction or do you?
feel free to comment or blog on your own. i'll be reading.
9 comments:
Raise them in the Lord like you did me. One day at a time. One subject at a time. And hopefully they won't be as much of a handfull as I was.
Make a reference Scripture list. Everytime (Consistancy) they do something "bad", have a moment and refer to the Bible. I am trying this with Little Miss and it has taken off very well. I even do for myself.
In my opinion...which is an opinion for those reading because I am far from being right...children under the age of 7 only need the basics like what you are doing. When they get older and start to have friends and realize what friends truly are you can start to relate to them the friendship of Jesus and God and what that truly means. For little kids, friends change daily. When you get to be 9 or 10 you have a constant friend and they can then understand what having someone by yourside really means.
Hey Becky,
What precious and honest thoughts. And the simple fact that you are blogging about this topic, means you have concern for your children's faith. You ARE making an effort to plant sincere faith in them, or this would be of no concern to you.
The first thought that came into my head was Deut. 6. The whole chapter addresses what you are discussing, but this section really sums it up: Deut. 6:4-9 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Obviously, the first thing is for YOU to love the Lord with all your heart and soul:) And that I know you've got under control! Continue being filled with His Word each day. Write it on your heart. Secondly, try to find ways to incorporate God's truths into your entire day. A great book for incorporating that into discipline specifically is "Creative Correction" by Lisa Welchel. (Yes, she was Blair on The Facts of Life) She has great practical tips for sprinkling Godly truths into our training and discipline of these little ones.
Anyway, I have rambled on enough. I love your heart, Becky! I know you are a fantastic mama--raisin' your babes in the Truth! I wish we could get together for coffee:)
Kisti
thanks for reminding me of those verses, Kisti! and i love that book. trust me, with 2 boys, i could wear out the spine on that one.
You are describing me as you talk about yourself. I struggle with this every day. Charlie is still little though...I can't imagine trying to incorporate these things into the lives of three! The first thing is to have the desire to teach them. Then, you just have to do as much as you can do. I can't offer much help. I can only offer support. You're not the only one struggling with this. Prayer is my only advice. It works wonders and I'm sure you already have seen the fruits of prayer in your own life.
I saw this post from my friend Melissa. I know how you feel. I am a mother of a 6 and 5 year old. I struggled and still do with this same thing. In my dealings with my children now and at a younger age, I would always try to talk about God. "What a beautiful day God has given us!" "Isn't God amazing for ____." Recently, we have started asking them "What would God want you to do?" in different situations or the Bible tells us to act like this and give a Bible verse like your friend Amy said to do. My kids know when I have my Bible study time and they know not to bother me. I try to have Christian music playing in the background as we play or cook. It was very awkard at first (hate to say that), but now it is just part of us. You have rekindled this in me and I may go right now and blog about it. I would love to talk to you more and share different ideas. God bless you!!! Your family is blessed to have you!
thanks! i was seriously starting to think that maybe i am the only one who didn't have a swinging clue and who, even though was brought up in the church, felt a little akward trying to incorporate it at times!!
I came to your blog via Becky and Melissa's. One thing I like to keep in mind is that when we are teaching children, we have the honor of teaching them God's truths and telling them something they have never heard before. How amazing that we can share the wonders of God's creation, the marvelous ways He has cared for His people, and His plan of salvation.
I'll never forget teaching a class of early-elementary age children. When I shared our Bible story with them and mentioned Jesus dying on the cross for us, one little boy's eyes filled with tears. "They killed Him?" he asked in disbelief. "I don't understand. Why did they have to kill Him?" I realized then that he had never heard the amazing love story unfolding between God and the world.
Our little ones have so much to learn about God, His love and His plan for our lives. What a blessing that we get to tell them the story of Jesus.
I think everyone feels this way at least some of the time. I feel this way most of the time. My hope for my little ones is that they would begin to recognize that God is in everything. That they would begin to think of God at times other than church and mealtime/bedtime prayers. I want them to know the bible and to pray, so it is important to do the things you are doing. I also want them to see the world as God's creation and love it for its beauty and mysteries. I want them to see people, all people, as God's creation and love them. They learn some of this by what we tell them, but they learn most of it by what they see in us. This parenting stuff is really hard!
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