A friend recently asked me, now that our children are in the 20's (Kristen turns 30 next month!), if we had any tips for her as she is raising her children. I guess she figured surely we learned something in those 30 years!
I hesitated even to respond. My first thought was, "If we knew how to raise healthy children we'd be rich!"
AND, "In reality we could probably tell u more what NOT to do!"
My first thought of regret was, "Oh how I wish Gary and I had started praying together sooner!"
Then I began to think of other things. Here is part of what I wrote to her.
We would keep praying, keep loving and keep extending grace to yourselves, others and them.
Know that you will mess up and so will they! You will fail them. Keep pointing them to THE ONE Who will never fail or leave them-Jesus!
Keep loving them and hugging them and keep encouraging them to love and hug one another!
Take them to a third world country at least once by the time they are 12yrs. old and teach them to hug and love people who are not like them.
Keeping giving them back to God and loving them no matter what!
Keep praying His Word over, with and for them.
Teach them how to defend themselves in prayer from the enemy and that there is a real spiritual battle raging with eternity at stake and that it's not all about them! But they are bought with a high price, there's more to life than this life and they were born for more! They have a purpose and high calling to love God and love people and to demonstrate that love to others that gives God glory!
Teach them that just as God sent Jesus we are SENT to love the world so they will KNOW He sent us!
I really didn't PLAN to write that it just came out because it IS what I believe.
They will learn what you believe by what you do and how you live, not by what you say. :)
Don't get caught up in trying or thinking you can do it perfectly. You can't and you won't and they won't.
Don't be afraid to apologize to your kids when you get it wrong. It is how they learn to apologize and ask forgiveness from others.
Give yourself and them freedom to make mistakes and teach them to go to God for their needs to be met.
Encourage them to live with open hands and hearts and to live generously.
Remember you don't have to do it alone. Ask for help from God and others.
Pray, pray and never give up! Hold onto God and teach them to cling to Him. Go to Him often and teach them to do the same.
Thanks for asking. Once I got started I realized I had alot to say. :) we certainly have not done it perfectly but have clung to His grace!
I would encourage you to ask yourselves:
Is it our purpose to raise children to follow God or to follow God so wholeheartedly that we lead them to follow Him as we do? Think about the different focus in a life like that!
I wonder if God gives us that strong intuition to dedicate ourselves to loving Our own children to demonstrate to us His live for us, His kids! We are eager to lay down our lives for OUR kids but we are ALL His kids! How would we live if we had that same desire and determination to live for the purpose of reaching and raising HIS kids to know and believe Him?
I know we didn't arrive there after more than 30 years of parenting. My personaly pride continually focuses me back on what's mine! I know I am responsible to Him for them but there is more than my family and those I love. There is the world that He was sent to and that He sends me and mine to as well! I don't want to live like it's all about me or teach them it's all about them.
I know you didn't ask for or expect all of this and maybe you stopped reading long ago. I'm glad you prompted me to think about it. It is how we are grandparenting and it is how we are raising our grandchildren (see, there I go again-it's all about me and mine!)
Obviously, we don't get it right but we keep giving the lifelong journey to God and asking for His direction, wisdom, discernment, love and grace! We want to be quick to extend the same to others!
May God encourage, strengthen and carry you as you follow Him and lead your children realizing that they are following as you follow Him! May God richly bless you and yours with the incredible peace of His marvelous peace!
Ephesians 3
1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles. . . 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone[c] this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him,[d] we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
BEAUTIFULLY SAID SISTER!
Posted by: Jon DeWittt | October 15, 2011 at 02:06 PM
hiiiii how r u we met in womens conference in nashik pz pray 4 my ministry1!!!!!1
Posted by: Shubha Salvi | November 11, 2011 at 08:51 AM