God Talk with your Family
Talking with your Kids
In our pursuit of good parenting we have tried many things to connect with our kids. We have read books together since birth. We have made sure that dinners together are a priority in our home. We have played games, enjoyed the outdoors, wrestled and tickled our way into their life. All of these things have helped our children know that we love them and that we enjoy having fun with them, but which of them have made an eternal impact?
Mornings with Children
My children are early risers. Each morning, my wife and I are greeted by our kids, along with their thoughts, stories and questions... early and often. This can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it is important for me to daily remember that my family does not have an ON/OFF switch. While I may need at least one cup of coffee before I am hopeful and excited for my day, my children, who are people too, are hopeful for their days and excited from the jump.
Because my children wake up early, my wife and I have the blessing of significant morning time with our children. The question that we continually come back to is; how can we best harness significant time-chunks to spiritually influence our children?
Letting the scriptures lead us, our job description as Christian parents becomes clear. God gave man and women to each other in marriage so that reproduction would mean Godly offspring.
Malachi 2:15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring.
Intentional Conversations
Raising Godly offspring does not happen simply by default. We do not believe that Children enter the family of God by being born into a believing family. Instead, we need to be intentional. Our children need us to intentionally make an effort to share our faith in God with them. To invite them into our faith and to walk alongside them as they mature in their own faith.
Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Harness everyday with intentional Godly conversations. Speak with your kids often about their creator. Teach them from His word, and remind them often of their need for a savior. Our children need to see a living and active faith worked out in our homes.
God Vocab
How can we make clear the faith that we have in God and the truth of His saving work in Jesus? How can we help our Children understand the nuances of salvation, without making is seem academic and arduous? To define faith with words only will leave a child with an indistinct experience of the almighty, while only utilizing emotional expressions may leave children with more questions than answers.
The truth is that our children will learn from what we both teach and model in faith. We must be active in molding both our word and our lifestyle into something that best displays the reality of God's work in the life of a follower of Jesus.
The most helpful way to accomplish this is to normalize Godly vocab into our day to day life. We should utilize your own daily walking and talking with God by infusing faithful vocabulary into everyday activities and time with family. When your wake up, remind yourself and your family that every breath we breathe is from and for God; when you walk outside, declare alongside creation the glory of our God; and when you lie down for best, rest well in the truth of God faithful care. These biblical truths and anchors of faith become the vocabulary through which we teach our children to connect with our God.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Challenge to Faithful Parents
My challenge for you today is to utilize some faith-filled words as you interact with your children today. Here is a list to try;
Faithful
Hope
Love
* We have a series on this blog called Kid Definitions, where we breakdown theological terms of faith to help families connect with the concepts in age appropriate and helpful ways.
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