So many parents think they are not equipped to teach their children. That is a lie from the pit of hell! God specifically tells us parents to teach our children diligently. I’m not saying homeschool, even though this is a homeschool series. Homeschooling does not work for every family. What I’m saying is, we parents need to wisely use the time we have with our kids.
If your kids are saved…what are you doing, moment by moment, to encourage their spiritual growth?
Parents have teaching power and abilities beyond anything we can think or imagine if we would just pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I’m not great at it. I miss opportunities all the time. I’m not a wise parent yet. I am learning.
I have had conversations with some wise parents though. Two were homeschooling moms; the others were not. I asked each mom what she thought was the one thing, other than the Lord, that helped her to parent well. Here are the 4 things I gathered from our conversations:
1. Relationship: Each mom took time to be intentional and cultivate a relationship with her children. This takes time and sacrifice. Find something different you can do with each child so that it’s “YOUR” thing to do together. Just the two of you. If you have many children, this will be a harder thing to accomplish. Perhaps you can spend time with two children doing some special activity.
2. Consistency: Discipline must be consistent. If you say you’re going to dish out a consequence, then you need to do it. Be sure the punishment fits the crime. Be consistent in firmness, as well as, in love and mercy.
3. Service: Find a way to serve others with your children. Whether it’s handing out food to the hungry, sewing quilts for sick babies, or a having a lemonade stand for a charity, be involved in helping others as a family.
4. Admit mistakes: Children have a little sensor inside of them which allows them to pick up on hypocrisy within 20 feet. They know you. They see you. They can tell what is important to you. They also know that sometimes you discipline them for actions that you do yourself. When you mess up, say “I’m sorry.” (I encourage you to read THIS.)
Parents, it’s the moment by moment lessons that teach our kids how to live for Jesus. It’s the conversations as you drive to the grocery store, the smiles when you approve of a sibling interaction, the apology when you lose your temper, it’s the huge hug once a discipline situation has ended.
To end this series, I want you to see a simple, practical way YOU can teach your children. Keep your eyes open. Pray that the Lord will help you to see Him and His lessons which surround you each and every day.
“Even a Finch”
Sweet Cheeks: Wow Mama! Look at all the birds!
The kids were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch and I think an entire flock of house finches were taking turns eating the birdseed I had put out in the feeder.
RB: Why are there so many birds out there?
Me: I don’t know. There sure are a lot of them aren’t there? Who created all of those birds?
Sweet Cheeks: God.
Me: Yep. He made each one. Did you know that God cares about each one? Look at them all! He knows when one of those finches gets hurt. He knows when one gets sick. He knows where they will be flying next to eat food. He cares about them. But He cares about you more. He knows all about one of those birds. And He knows all about you. In fact, He loves you more than those birds.
RB: Why?
Me: Because you have His breath inside of you. Remember Adam? God breathed into him. God created all of the animals, but He gave His breath to humans. We’re pretty special.
Sweet Cheeks: Yep. We’re special.
Sometimes we need to put the books away and just watch the birds.
THANK YOU so much for joining me this week as we explored the topic of having a Christ-Focused Homeschool. This was a challenging series for me because I see many areas where I am weak as a parent. I am thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning and that I have a clean slate. I hope you will stick around and join the FFS Community as we all figure out this parenting thing. Have a fantastic weekend!
Posts in this series:
1. The Role of a Christ-Focused Parent
2. The Standard Used By a Christ-Focused Parent
3. The Goal of Christ-Focused Homeschooling
4. Resources for a Christ-Focused Homeschool
5. Moment by Moment Christ-Focused Teaching
Please click on the button below to hop back over to the Crew blog to find the next blog to read. Enjoy!!
