After singing one of her favorite songs, my five year old with her ever expanding mind asked me, “If God is so big, why can’t I see Him?” Another day after mulling over a large map of the United States, that same daughter asked me, “Mommy where is heaven on this map? I can’t find it.” I was caught off guard for a few seconds following those questions; then I thanked God for those teachable moments. We had a great discussion about the greatness and vastness of our Lord and His kingdom in heaven. I know some of the concepts were a little hard for her to understand, but to know her mind is already searching and knowing warms my spirit.
We are called to evangelize our faith. Who better to start with than our own children. It occurred to me not long ago to really take a close look at how I was modeling and living the Christian walk for my children. While some things were looking good, I admit there were some areas in which I was lacking. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states, “These commandments I give to you today are to upon your hearts,impress them on your children. Talk about it when you sit, at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” We have made some changes in our daily schedule that allow us time to focus on Christ. Here are some practical things we do in our home to make Christ the focus of our lives.
Prayer. In the morning before we leave the house we kneel in front of the door and hold hands. We pray for protection over each member of our family as they enter the world. Then we pray for whatever event or activity we will be participating in that day. On days I forget, my girls are quick to remind me in the car but you can’t hold hands in the car. We also pray regularly at our meals. We have started to remember praying when we eat out as well. Lastly, we always close our day with prayer. At that time we thank God for the blessings of the day and say a special prayer for any family and friends that may be sick or struggling.
Church. We strive to make church attendance an integral part of our lives. My girls know that Sunday is church day. Its is as normal for us as getting up to go to work any other day of the week. On Sundays when we can’t make it for some various reason, my girls are always disappointed. My 5 year old asked me the other day why her aunt didn’t go to church. She thinks everybody does! Our church has Wednesday night activities for the whole family. This past year Halloween fell on a Wednesday, I wanted my children to know that church will always take precedence over anything else. We were able to go trick or treating for a short time and make it to church on time. However if I thought it would interfere with church we would have not done it.
Daily Living. Throughout the day I am trying to be more conscious to live out my daily Christian walk. I wake up at 6 a.m. to have my quiet time with the Lord. On several occasions my 3 year old will be up with me. I let her lay quietly on the couch with a book. Usually she just sits there and stares at me. She know that mommy is meeting with the Lord and needs her quiet time. When we are in the car we are only listening to Christian music. I love our local Christian radio station (although with the girls in the car its usually Veggie Tales). It is neat for me to see my girls learn and sing the same songs I sang as a child.
There are many more ways that we parents can better incorprate Christ in our lives. These are just a few practical suggestions for living out your faith for your children.
