Can you recall a favorite childhood memory you had with your family?
Was it a special vacation, a holiday celebration, or a weekly activity? Maybe it was the family dinners or the after-school snacks and conversation that helped you feel valuable.
Having daily, meaningful moments with our own children is also important. These times create impact in the moment and make lasting impressions.
We need to be intentional about making it happen. Doing so takes our time in our already busy days, our energy when we have already done so much, and our creativity when we’d rather be on autopilot. But, doing so gives so much to our children: value, love, and opportunities to grow. Have you noticed how face-to-face conversations and side-by-side non-digital activities make a difference in your child’s attitude and behavior?
God described an aspect of parenting that is most valuable, which we can read in Deuteronomy 6:5-9: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (NIV).
These words, which God gave Moses to tell the Israelites, encompass knowing, loving, and serving God. These words encompass hiding God’s words in their hearts, talking about them, living by them, and passing them on their future generations as the family units abide by them.
How is your family doing with this?
Within our families, we need to take initiative to train our children in the way they should go – God’s way. We also need to model it. Our children need to see that living for God, through Jesus, makes a difference in our own lives! We need to walk the talk. And, we need to start talking…
As Christian parents, this is our responsibility. Society doesn’t even pretend to instill godly values or extol the family unit; it works toward the opposites.
To make a lasting impression, we, as parents, need to teach our children, both directly and indirectly, that knowing, worshiping, loving, and serving God are the most important parts of life!
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