Showing Our Children How to Love God & Others
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7
Happy Valentine’s Day! I thought this message would fit perfectly into the day of love! This is one of my favorite verses. It’s such a tender yet, demanding command that Moses gave the Israelites not long before they entered the land God had promised them. It’s one of the central themes in Deuteronomy. We are to love God, think often about His commands in our daily life, and perhaps the most important part — repeat them to our children.
I have recently been challenging myself as a mom to find new ways to show my children the love of Jesus. I remember when they were very little, all I desired was a few minutes of quiet time… Just me and Jesus. It would often get interrupted, and it would leave me frustrated. But now I am in a new mindset. I look at the years ahead and know that my never-quiet house has an expiration date. Our kids will grow up. We have 9 more years of a full house before the oldest turns 18. 9 more years of loud. 9 more years of interruptions. 9 more years of everyone under one roof.
Ugh… That’s hard to even type. In fact, you didn’t see this through the screen…. But there was a 10 minute pause and a tear before I continued this blog.
Ok… let’s move on…. Please! :) So… I have 9 years to impart all of the knowledge, wisdom, love, and understanding I have for Jesus and His Word. It’s a mission and a responsibility. One way we can do this is to involve our children in the work God has called us to. It’s something I have tried to keep top of mind. I want my kids to see me read God’s Word. I want them to pray with me, but I want them to see action too.
This photo of Sadie is her helping me get ready for Champions of Faith. She was so excited to help and do a “big girl” job. It opened the door for all kinds of questions: What are you doing mom? Why are you doing this? What does faith mean? Can you show me faith? Can I help you?…. And then the best statement: “This is fun!”
Loving Jesus is FUN! Getting to serve is fun! I want to show them that love is not merely read on a page. It is shown and learned through action. Yes, I want my children to love God’s Word. But I also want them to love people and serving. I want them to be a part of whatever Kingdom work I am doing. It’s a promise I have made to God and to them.
I want to challenge you this week. How can you involve your family in what you are doing for God? Take them with you. Show them what the Gospel looks like. Make it fun. Give them a task and a purpose. I read somewhere long ago that we should be praying for our children to have a greater ministry impact than we do. It is a prayer I have for my children. I want them to carry my mission to places I could never reach, but we must show them how. We must show them that our love for God is easily displayed by loving others well.
