Psalm 144:12 May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. 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.
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai,[a] where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’
We are The Village
For Most children school has quickly come to a close. Moms all over the country are ready to stop for a moment and breathe. From August to May year after year they are rushing out of the door every morning racing down the streets trying to get their little ones to school and on to work they go. Today’s lesson is about teaching opportunities. This is just a reminder that although our children will be out of school for a few short weeks we still have a responsibility to make sure they are learning and that we are taking every opportunity to pour into them while we can. I am not talking about math or ABC’S. I am talking about pointing them to God through some of your summer road trips and some of the fun and adventurous things you will be doing this summer. If they are at the beach remind them who made the ocean. Talk to them about Jonah and the whale or remind them how powerful and divine it was that Jesus could walk on water. Where ever you are orchestrate a way to incorporate God and how he should be a part of each day.
Fall is my favorite time of year and when my daughter was very small, even still riding in the car seat I would drive around town showing her the beautiful leaves on the trees. Every fall this was our thing, looking at all of the vibrant colors that each tree displayed. I would tell her that God was the master artist and that no one could paint a scene like He could. I would use this time that we were basking in the beauty of nature to point her straight to God. Even though she is all grown up now, she loves to look at the trees and she too has a great appreciation for their beauty.
When the family is having TV time bring to their attention how writers of TV. Shows, show the sin but rarely the consequences of sin. Help them to be clear that if there is sin there are consequences.
When our family watches TV, if there is something that comes up that is an obvious sin, I literally stop the TV and ask my daughter “Now what is wrong with this picture”? , and we have a quick discussion. Although we are selective as to what we watch we still see things that we can learn from.
Since you have a captive audience push the pause button on your remote. You can use these opportunities as teaching opportunities, and most importantly don’t allow your children to have a diet of TV from morning to midnight for the next few weeks. Be diligent about knowing what they are watching. It is easy when you are tired to let your guard down. Remain watchful and guarded. Satan desires to take our children whether by TV or other means.
If your children are no longer living at home you may have grandchildren. Grandparents, pour into your grandchildren, let them gleam from your years of experience and wisdom.
Teachable moments are all around us. We can all enjoy our summer and still help our children grow deeper spiritual roots when it comes to their still developing faith. It would be a tragedy for these opportunities to teach and encourage them not only in spiritual matters, but also in other areas that are not taught in school to slip through our fingers.
Some of you may not have children yet, but you have nieces or nephews, you are called to teach them also when you can. I am encouraging everyone to take some time this summer and be a mentor for a child or a teenager. Our children need us. It really does take a village to raise a child, and guess what? We are the village.
Why not create your own little summer camp even if it’s only in the evenings after work, at least this way you know what they are being taught and you can feel proud that you were the difference maker in their precious lives.
Be sure to let them have some rest time also, but not too much. Remember, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
Have a blessed and a safe summer!
Psalm 71:5 O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
Psalm 71:16-17 I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just.17 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
