Ready?
That you love and serve only Him, that you learn and obey His commandments, and that you teach them diligently to your children. That's it! That's all He asks of you. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Sounds simple, right? So do you commit yourself wholeheartedly to learning and following God's Commandments? Do you repeat them again and again to your children? Do you talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up? Have you tied them to your hands and wore them on your forehead as reminders? Have you written them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates? I've recently read this quote: "The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting but that it has been found difficult and left untried." -GK Chesterton. We need to take this sentiment to heart and ask, are we truly trying to live out God's will for our lives and does it show in our daily walk? Is there evidence that Jesus lives in us AND our children too? Let's look to Jesus as our barometer and judge ourselves as to how we're doing so far.
When Jesus began His ministry, there was no whoopla. He didn't announce He was God and call people near, in fact did His best to keep His identity a secret. Humility marked every aspect of His life here and should mark ours as well. No one wants to be taught anything by an arrogant hypocrite - most especially children. He inserted Himself into the poorest community and befriended those who lived in it. He did not immediately call disciples to "follow Him." Instead, He lived with them, got to know them, ate with them, and took care of their sick family members. In short, He was their friend. He called this fellowship; we call it having meaningful relationships. Eventually neighbors witnessed the friendships, overheard His conversations and were "amazed" by Him. They drew closer to hear more, not because he called them, but because what He said and did was "so different." He was like a magnet. Friends brought more friends to listen and meet Jesus and then even the sick people found ways to come to see Jesus. And Jesus, being the epitome of compassion, healed them as they came but told them to keep quiet about it. They never did though. Not only did His teachings make them marvel, but He also had power like no other they'd seen. Rumors were rampant about who He might be but he let people figure that out on their own. And many did. It wasn't long before He had crowds following Him everywhere, and He had to hide to find any privacy. By the time He went out with the intent to "call" disciples to forsake their lives, He had proved Himself worthy of being their "Teacher" and subsequently, though they did not know it yet, their Savior.
If we truly desire our children to want to follow our example and live lives that honor Christ, then we should be fellowshipping with them daily. We need to be building meaningful relationships and trust through godly love. Nothing less will suffice. You cannot build a relationship with any foundation if you don't do as Jesus did; humble yourself and meet them on their level. Be interested in what interests them, participate in every part of their life, get to know them well enough that you can anticipate their innermost thoughts, longings and even fears in life. Ask them what they think about "such and such." Let them know that their thoughts and opinions have value no matter their age. Be their comrade and helper as well as teacher and parent. Then when you see them start to walk down the wrong path, they will be more apt to hear and obey your correction. Less apt to rebel. Talk to them all the time about all of these things and how everything relates to God and eternity. This kind of conversation should go well beyond scratching the surface of Bible History and quoting a few scriptures so take the time to dig deep, chew on scripture and sit yourself under good teachers. You cannot impart the deep things of the Bible if you don't know them.
We need to begin our "ministry" as parents as well as to the world like Jesus did His. With humility but not naivety. The fruit of a true Christian can not be hidden nor faked. People will notice and be drawn to you if you have Jesus truly living in you. Anyone can quote scripture and appear holy; the "Rabbis" during Jesus's time on Earth certainly fooled people until the real deal, Jesus, started to teach. It was then that multitudes realized that He fed their starving souls the true Word of God while the "highly esteemed teachers" of their day were simply tickling their ears while filling their wallets. Same is true today. The true teachings of Jesus are still those with the power to opens eyes to the truth and forever alter the lives of those who are willing to hear and obey Him. In short, we should still marvel at God's Word when properly taught and want to implement it immediately into our lives. It should be quietly transforming us daily and there should be outward evidence in our behavior.
If you are raising your kids according to God's will. If you are truly being a godly example, your kids should also show the evidence. Parents of your children's friends may even call you to praise your child's example. You and your children should also become magnets to other people's kids in need of godly love. They will be drawn to your house because there is "something different" there. They may not know what "it" is, but they know they like "it." And it shouldn't take long for the mystery of "it" to come out if Jesus is infused into your lives. The milk and honey should ooze out of you. If this isn't happening in your life, then it's time to re-evaluate your walk with Him.
"Hands Full" is my Tuesday blog feature about the full time job of raising children according to God's Word. If you are a Christian parent who has chosen to forgo materiality to put your children first by being home with them, who may also homeschool them (an often thankless job the worldly show lowest esteem for), you will find this feature both an exhortation and an encouragement to keep living out the will of God. You will also find that, if you allow it, God will use your own children to teach and correct YOUR relationship with Him. Please feel free to share the link. To read the introduction to this series, click here.
2 comments:
Jen, I clicked on you over at Anns. I agree so much with this post! I wanted to add that the JOY in parenting is so much more present when we lose our agenda and parent our kids by this simple (but difficult) command. And, the peace is present and the purpose as well. When I parent in obedience to God, I am a peaceful mom. I wish every Christian parent could find this post tucked into their wallets, posted on their fridge -- wherever they can see it. It is vital information.
Such a great reminder! Thank you for pointing to Christ as our example. What I always forget about the Deuteronomy passage is that I first have to love God with all my heart before I can "teach these things to your children." I have to be in the word myself, connected to Him first before I can teach him to my children. Great post!
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