For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord.—Psalm 34:11 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=1eea6876f9&e=3dd732485b)Sometimes Christian parents want their children to live in a bubble. They aren't going to allow any godless influences in their house. They won't even have a television set. No media. No Internet. Just nothing—not even furniture. Please don't do that. Instead, prepare your children to live in the real world. Teach them.

I never had to teach my boys how to sin. I never had to sit them down and say, "Boys, I am going to teach you how to sin. Let's start with the word mine." No, it came naturally to them just like it came naturally to me. It comes naturally to every person. David said, "In sin my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5 NKJV).

Moses gave great insight when he said, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NKJV). I love that. Moses is saying, just do it all of the time. Teach them in the morning and at night. Teach your kids everywhere. Look for a teaching moment. I've found some of the greatest spiritual moments with children happen when we are just out doing things.

One thing I would often do with my kids—and now I do with my grandkids—is watch TV shows with them. Afterwards, I ask them questions and try to help them interpret it. I want to help them develop a biblical worldview for themselves. I want them to see things as God sees things. That is a constant process. So lovingly teach the Word and never stop doing it.

I want them to see things as God sees things.

[square butte]

Great lesson - Thanks rl69 for the good start this morning

[buckwheatpaul]

rl69 you are 100% right in your approach. Like has been posted elsewhere it takes the influences of both parents to bring them to God and to bring out their goodness. All children are surrounded with "ME" and not "US". There is so much to impart and so little time that we often defer to others to raise our most precious children....and they do not have the same values that we have. Thank you for this lesson. Paul

[USMC87]

This is a great lesson and reminder that it is our responsibility to teach our kids and not rely on someone else.

[Blackwater]

Our children are our future and our nation's future. We've let godless people run our education system for decades now, and look what we have as a result. Kids who don't know, don't WANT to know, and really don't care about anything but when and where the next party's going to be, and who's bringing the drugs and alcohol and condoms. They're not all like that, but look at how many ARE! When we neglect bringing up and truly rearing our children, we're neglecting ourselves and our future and the nation and its future. There's always a price for sin, whether it be an act of commission or of omission.

Take them hunting and fishing, where there ARE no others of their age around them to impress. Tell them about what they're seeing, and why things are the way they are. Ask them questions about what they're seeing and thinking. And just deal with whatever comes up, and do it as one adult to another. Kids get very tired of "baby talk" and being talked down to when they're about 4 years old. Their one great aspiration is to get "big" like Mom and Dad. But they have no real idea what all it is they're going to face. We have to teach them these things before they're "ready," so that when they encounter them, it won't be a surprise, and they'll know how to handle them.

Raising kids is our biggest responsibility in this world, aside from acquiring and edifying our own Faith, so we'll have something of real value to give our kids. And it'll return SO much more than we give them! It's God's math. In His math, when you give away something, it grows before it's returned back to you. Sort of a little miracle that nobody much notices these days. But that's how it works, whether we recognize it or not.

Thanks for a great lesson again today. One we all need to continually consider, even as grandparents, mentors, and plain ol' friends of the young. We teach them so very much more than we realize, and our attitudes are the biggest and most significant thing we impart to these little ones. Attitude controls SO much of what we do and how it's taken, and what it leads us and others to!