The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. -Psalm 24:1
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I’m so quick to form all my lists and plans for myself and for my kids each day. Without deliberate consideration or guarding, things like making beds and completing all tasks efficiently wiggle their way up to the top of the list of essentials. How about making the essentials truly essential, and letting all the rest spill forth in the overflow? I begin again… What my kids really need today: 1. Parents that smile. 2. The sound of harmony, not dischord. 3. A gentle word and a soft touch. 4. An attentive ear. 5. Order, not chaos. 6. To experience forgiveness; to extend forgiveness. 7. An awareness of the needs of others. 8. Arrows pointing all things to the Cross. 9. Parents who pray for them audibly and inaudibly. 10. The Word of God spoken, heard, seen, and felt. Have a wonderful day focusing on the essentials.
The Preacher and I went out for a quick little date last night after the kiddos went to bed. We shared a plate of nachos at our neighborhood Mexican joint. There’s nothing better than looking each other in the eye after a long day (or several!) and sharing what’s on our minds and in our hearts. Our conversation last night landed on the topic of our children’s salvation. You may remember that two of our children expressed concern for their souls during our first week home from the hospital. Our oldest, who has made a profession of faith, was expressing conviction and sorrow for not reading the Word of God with sincerity. That kid. He blesses me. He said that night: “I just don’t know if I’ve seen any real change in my life.” Did I mention he is 9? We had the privilege of walking him back through the […]
I write about parenting quite a bit here on this blog. Sometimes the moments I write about are gloriously inspiring; sometimes they are terribly embarrassing. What you don’t get in my posts is an audio file of the joyful noise that fills our home throughout the day. It’s the joyful noise that can sometimes include crying, yelling, whining, complaining, and arguing. If your home is filled with joyful (and sometime non-joyful) clamor, you, too, likely spend many an hour praying, preaching to your own heart, applying self control, venting to your spouse…and reading parenting books. Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus is a new book co-written by one of my favorite Christian authors, Elyse Fitzpatrick. In collaboration with her daughter, Jessica Thompson, Elyse Fitzpatrick writes no ordinary parenting book. Offering no formulas and systems, Give Them Grace girds the parent with the paradigm and […]
I’ve been re-reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart as part of discussion for our school’s once-a-month fellowship for moms. So many familiar truths, yet such needed reminders. To shepherding a child’s heart is an ever work in progress…for both child and parent. It’s really not enough for us to read a book, take a class, or join a group, one time in our lives, and expect lasting consistency in our mindset and practice. As parenting is a refining work that shapes us as parents, and conforms our hearts closer to the Shepherd as well, we must be on guard and reminded daily through God’s word and solid resources. Here are some reminders for me (and hopefully for you!) today: …if you teach your child to obey and to perform for approval from you and from others, you presnet an unbiblical objective….People will respond well to a child who obeys, but you […]
“What are you eating?!” I asked with dread, knowing I had not given Number 3 anything to eat before entering the bookstore together. He opened his mouth, revealing a gray piece of gum, clearly not fresh. I’m sure I did a grossed-out-shiver-dance and quickly deposited the gum into the nearby trashcan. “Where in the world did you get the gum?” Thus began the inquisition involving such questions: “Did it have a wrapper on it?” “Did someone give it to you or did you find it? “Do you realize how dangerous and disgusting that is?” His answers: “Did it have a wrapper on it?” No. “Did someone give it to you or did you find it? No. “Do you realize how dangerous and disgusting that is?” No. “Where in the world did you get the gum?” He led me out of the store and stopped in the middle of the parking […]
Here are 10 Things I had to remind myself today when the job of correcting my children felt especially difficult… 1. You disobey the Lord…and He is the perfect Father. 2. His kindness leads us to repentance. 3. God disciplines those He loves. 4. Your child’s disobedience does not measure your value any more than his obedience showcases your achievement. 5. Your child’s disobedience teaches you dependence on God. 6. And sometimes it’s more than dependence He’s after, it’s complete desperation for Him. 7. Your child is clearly a sinner, and needs to hear the truth of the Gospel, and see it lived out through you. 8. Times of correction serve to remind, or establish within your child, his own sense of need for a Savior. 9. It’s not good behavior you really desire…you want his heart. 10. Your child is a person, not a project.
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