Welcome to Week Two ladies!
How amazing was the way God provided for His chosen children in the wilderness? By manifesting himself by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire, He made sure they continually had the comfort of his protection and presence. Can you imagine what that meant to the Israelites as they journeyed in dangerous uncertainty across a rocky and barren desert into the unknown?
I really like the analogy of God as a loving parent and caregiver to His children - looking out for us, protecting us from our enemies, soothing our worries and fears, encouraging us to have faith and to be trusting and obedient.
Which brings me to today's Heart Question:
I really like the analogy of God as a loving parent and caregiver to His children - looking out for us, protecting us from our enemies, soothing our worries and fears, encouraging us to have faith and to be trusting and obedient.
Which brings me to today's Heart Question:
Have you ever thought of the impact of your faith on your children's future? What difference can this realization make in your daily walk with God and in your parenting?
7 comments:
Well it's Tawnya here, which in itself says I don't have the book yet and will be playing catch up, but as many of you said just reading the postings & comments was very moving. I am constantly struggling in my walk with God and while I know I don't stop enough to seek him ... I always feel him seeking me ... almost like this study is him saying "quit running from me"! A good friend said "to worry is to not have faith". Thank you lovely girls for this opportunity to seek him and truly know what FAITH feels like so I can pass that on to my son & make his walk in life easier.
This is actually something Todd and I have been discussing a lot lately, so imagine my surprise when I saw what the heart question was for the day!
We as parents, I think, are our children's first experience with how God is and who He is. And one of our main goals is to be always continually pointing our children to Christ and helping them understand themselves and their behavior in relationship to Christ and His authority over their lives. It's also important that they see me (and Todd) having a relationship with Jesus and being authentic.
I think it changes everything about the way we approach parenting - especially for us at the moment, the way we approach discipline (something we've been praying hard about of late)! We want our sweet babies to grow up and love Jesus! That's the most important thing to us!
Hello, Tawnya! I'm so excited you're doing this study with us! I've missed you!
i have been thinking about this very same thing SO much lately! and it was quite timely that our study points this out!... i agree, i think that we are our children's first impression of God! i believe mothers and fathers both play a vital role in how this plays out too!... it has made me stop and think SO many times about what i'm doing... often, i find myself wanting to just take care of the moment, if that makes sense, instead of thinking of the bigger picture and processing how this will affect my kids in the long run.... be it discipline, spending time, answering questions, teaching them (anything, really), taking them to church--encouraging them to love church!... whatever it is, the reality that we are God's representatives is SO true and SO evident to me right now! this study has helped make me more aware of that than ever! we have all seen generations affect generations... nothing is too big for God to reverse, and i praise Him for that!!! but how much more loving will my kids be if i love them as God loves us, how much more open minded will my kids be if i am not judgmental toward them or others, how much more compassionate will my kids be if i show them compassion--for them and for others... this takes surrender to Him and submission to His ways (instead of my own!!!) our God is SO big!! he's big enough to cover my inadequacies as a parent, but i always want to strive to be more like Him and see my kids (and others) through His eyes!!! this was such a timely message for me to hear... thanks everyone for sharing!
Have you ever thought of the impact of your faith on your children's future? What difference can this realization make in your daily walk with God and in your parenting?
It makes all the difference! I have an almost three year old boy who is watching my every move and repeating everything that comes out of my mouth. It is now more than ever that he needs to see Christ through me and my husband. Not just before each meal or at bedtime during our prayers, but in everything that I am! Samething goes for my one year old daughter. She not only is going to see God in her parents, but in her older brother as well. Sure there are going to be mole hills along the way, but it is through God that we will gather the strength and courage to teach them to learn from their mistakes. But God has given me these two beautiful babies to watch over for him. It is my job to help them to understand and love him as their Unfailing Father!
I thought I posted this message yesterday, not sure what happened...I'm trying again.
I never gave much thought to the impact my faith would have on my children's future until I went to my 1st Hearts at Home conference. They emphasized it a lot that weekend. It makes sense, they see if we really walk the walk or just make it look good on Sunday. If we do our best to model Christ in our lives, they will be much better equipped to do the same when they're adults. What a difficult task when they can make me so mad at times & I fly off the handle!
Thanks for all your comments. I'm behind in the study, but I feel like I'm getting so much from everyone's thoughts. By the way I have 3 boys, ages 9, 6 & 4.
Kristin
I don't have a Child, but My Neice Will Be 1 In Nov. and I hope She learns and Understands about Christ all of Her life so that She can become a Better Person cause of it.
My daughter is 4 1/2 mos. old, but I know she is watching and learning from me. It is comforting to know that my parenting comes out of my relationship with God, and yet at the same time, it is convicting!p
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