Good Example
Now that I'm a Mommy, worry is my middle name (I'm sure you other Mommas out there understand, right?). I could make a list a mile long of all the things I worry about in one given day, but I think the one thing I worry most about is being a good example for my kids. I not only want my children to grow up having good manners (saying yes ma'am, no sir and thank you), respecting their elders and being accountable for their actions but I want them to know Jesus Christ and grow in a relationship with Him.
How do you start teaching your children about God? Of course the most obvious answer is to teach by example, which brings me back to my #1 worry, being a good example. I feel like I live a pretty clean life. I try to be conscious of others' feelings, I don't use bad language and I say "please" and "thank you", but is that enough? Probably not.
I want Colton to have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ and learn about the love He has for all of us. I'm sure when Colton gets out in this crazy world, he will be face to face with bad examples, hate and negativity, so how can Colton learn about the love of Jesus at such a young age?
Prayer. I pray for Colton every single night. I thank God for my son and I ask Him to watch over Colton every second, minute and hour of the day. I pray not only for his physical health, but for his emotional and spiritual health too. I plan to continue this with Colton as he grows. I want to teach Colton that prayer is simply a conversation between him and God, and he can do it anytime, anywhere and anyway he wants to.
The Bible. I don't have an age appropriate Bible for Colton yet (shame on me) but he will be getting his first Bible story in his Easter basket this year. I want my kids to hear the stories from the Bible and (when they're old enough) talk about them, what they mean and what Jesus wants us to learn from them.
Church. I grew up going to church and it's not something I have continued (regularly) as an adult. I do think it's important to give our kids access to a place to worship and learn about Jesus with others who love Him. Once we get moved and settled in, finding a home church is on the top of our "to do list".
Belief. I want to help my kids to understand why they believe what they do. They will need that understanding later in life when people ask them why they believe in Jesus. Many people believe in Jesus only because their parents do, and I don't want that for my kids. I want to help them come to belief on their own, instead of just believing because I do. I want to help guide them, but not decide for them.
Teach. Along with "yes ma'am" and "thank you", I hope to teach my kids to show others Jesus, not just with the words they say, but with their actions. This is where Matt and I really have to lead by example.
Relate. Sometimes it's hard to take a story from the Bible and understand how it means anything "in this day and time". I hope to be able to show my kids how the Bible relates to them, in their own life. How can the things we learn from the Bible work in school or with friends and family.
Conversation. I have to make sure that not only my actions, but my words are also setting a good example. My daily conversations have to be full of faith because little ears are always listening.
Live. This is probably the most important step in teaching my kids about God, living what I believe. To live and walk in faith is the most powerful tool in teaching children that Christ is real and helping to prove that He can be real in their lives too.
I guess if I allow worry to take over in my life, my faith is lacking. It's important for me to realize that there are going to be so many things that I can't control and let God take the lead. I hope to not only live the best life I can, but I hope that my children recognize that and want to live a clean, healthy and positive life too. I feel that giving my children the opportunity to learn about Jesus will be one of the most important gifts I can give them.
How do you start teaching your children about God? Of course the most obvious answer is to teach by example, which brings me back to my #1 worry, being a good example. I feel like I live a pretty clean life. I try to be conscious of others' feelings, I don't use bad language and I say "please" and "thank you", but is that enough? Probably not.
I want Colton to have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ and learn about the love He has for all of us. I'm sure when Colton gets out in this crazy world, he will be face to face with bad examples, hate and negativity, so how can Colton learn about the love of Jesus at such a young age?
Prayer. I pray for Colton every single night. I thank God for my son and I ask Him to watch over Colton every second, minute and hour of the day. I pray not only for his physical health, but for his emotional and spiritual health too. I plan to continue this with Colton as he grows. I want to teach Colton that prayer is simply a conversation between him and God, and he can do it anytime, anywhere and anyway he wants to.
The Bible. I don't have an age appropriate Bible for Colton yet (shame on me) but he will be getting his first Bible story in his Easter basket this year. I want my kids to hear the stories from the Bible and (when they're old enough) talk about them, what they mean and what Jesus wants us to learn from them.
Church. I grew up going to church and it's not something I have continued (regularly) as an adult. I do think it's important to give our kids access to a place to worship and learn about Jesus with others who love Him. Once we get moved and settled in, finding a home church is on the top of our "to do list".
Belief. I want to help my kids to understand why they believe what they do. They will need that understanding later in life when people ask them why they believe in Jesus. Many people believe in Jesus only because their parents do, and I don't want that for my kids. I want to help them come to belief on their own, instead of just believing because I do. I want to help guide them, but not decide for them.
Teach. Along with "yes ma'am" and "thank you", I hope to teach my kids to show others Jesus, not just with the words they say, but with their actions. This is where Matt and I really have to lead by example.
Relate. Sometimes it's hard to take a story from the Bible and understand how it means anything "in this day and time". I hope to be able to show my kids how the Bible relates to them, in their own life. How can the things we learn from the Bible work in school or with friends and family.
Conversation. I have to make sure that not only my actions, but my words are also setting a good example. My daily conversations have to be full of faith because little ears are always listening.
Live. This is probably the most important step in teaching my kids about God, living what I believe. To live and walk in faith is the most powerful tool in teaching children that Christ is real and helping to prove that He can be real in their lives too.
I guess if I allow worry to take over in my life, my faith is lacking. It's important for me to realize that there are going to be so many things that I can't control and let God take the lead. I hope to not only live the best life I can, but I hope that my children recognize that and want to live a clean, healthy and positive life too. I feel that giving my children the opportunity to learn about Jesus will be one of the most important gifts I can give them.
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