4 Personal God Things to Share with Your Child

4 Personal God Things to Share with Your Child Part 2 Welcome back! Do your kids know how you feel about God? Do you talk about God in everyday conversation, or do you keep your relationship with God private? Sharing your walk with the Lord with your kids may be one of the most important things you do as a parent. Deuteronomy 6:4–7 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them [the commands of God] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” This doesn’t mean a set time once a week where the family sits down at the table and discusses God things. Notice what God says through Moses—talk about them “when you sit” and “when you walk along the road” and “when you lie down and when you get up.” Basically, talk about God-things all the time with your kids! One great place to talk about God with your kids is in the car. They are captive audiences even if it’s a short three-minute drive to a sports practice. Don’t be hesitant to share how you saw God working in your life while they were at school—even if they have friends in the car! Or, make use of drive time in the morning by asking your kids if they have a big test that day, or anything they are concerned about. Then pray out loud for them (eyes open, of course!) It may feel awkward at first, but your kids will store up those memories in their hearts, and it will likely be something they miss as teens. Mark Holman writes “We were never called to be ‘one-hour-at-church-only Christians.’” He says if all we do is spend an hour with God at church each week, that doesn’t demonstrate a loving relationship but “it actually leads our children to think that Christianity is hypocritical because it’s something we only do at church and not at home.” Raising kids who love God starts with you loving God. Children watch everything, and they absorb more than you might realize. When they see your relationship with God modeled in all aspects of your life and they know you love and follow Him, it impacts them. Until we meet again in next month’s Online Parenting Class, don’t be afraid to talk about God in new places! I hope the video for this month has provided some ideas for sharing “God things” with your child. I’m committed to walking with you! Pastor Barb