Raising Children to Honor His Kingdom
This blog post is the second contributed by our knowledgeable partners at Remoteworkwellness.net.
Dr. Sonia Cunningham Leverette of Hadassah’s Crown Publishing, LLC pursues her passion of uplifting, informing and healing through words and is the author of several books. Shop online today or contact us at 864-708-1214 to learn more! In honor of Small Business Saturday coming up this weekend, please visit our Store Page. We have many titles that support raising emotionally and spiritually healthy children.
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13)
What does this mean? We can take it at face value, knowing that when we teach our children how to live to honor his kingdom, they will grow into adulthood without the weight and burdens of turmoil. But, as parents, this isn’t always easy. We can feel lost, helpless, and sorrowful at the state of the world around us. However, we must remember that our children are tomorrow’s greatest hope, and how we guide them today will help them be better leaders tomorrow.
Today, Hadassah’s Crown Publishing, LLC shares tips and advice on ways to raise children to put God first.
Start by listening.
One of the greatest things we can do as parents is listen to our children. When we listen, and really hear, what our children have to say we can help identify problems within their world. Psychology Today points out that issues, such as change in behavioral patterns, noticed early on might point to possible problems down the road. The example Lisa Firestone Ph.D. uses in the aforementioned article is that a fixation on food or video games may lead to addiction in their teen or adult years.
There are many things we can listen to from our children, including whether or not they choose to follow the crowd or their hearts. Once we know where they are struggling, even if it seems trivial to us, we can best guide them to make better decisions for their entire lives.
Be a role model; continue your education
As parents, one of our primary goals is to model healthy behaviors for our children. We can do this in many ways, by introducing godly people into their world, speaking highly of our own spiritual mentors and teachers, and doing things that allow us to honor the gifts we’ve been given.
One example might be to go back to school to enhance our natural talents; you can go here to learn more about continuing your education online to, for instance, get a bachelor’s degree in education. This can allow us to get a higher-paying job so that we can provide more for the church. In doing so, we can showcase to our children that we put our faith and our hearts in God by giving him a percentage of our material possessions. Further, our tithe money goes toward many important outreach activities, such as supporting our congregations in keeping our churches up and running.
Have patience.
It’s worth discussing the concept of patience because being patient with our children is so important. Jesus teaches us how to be patient and his actions throughout the Bible. For our children, having patient parents can reduce stress and boost emotional maturity. When we don’t overreact, our kids are more likely to trust us to come to us with things that are bothering them as they get older. Our teenagers, for example, might feel more comfortable discussing issues of their budding sexuality or their shaken faith if they trust that we won’t lose our temper but will instead listen patiently and offer gentle encouragement.
Encourage healthy eating.
In 1 Corinthians 10:30, we hear, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything we put into ourselves glorifies the body that God made. Help your children understand that they must take care of this gift by eating healthy foods. We do not read about eating prepackaged foods and French fries in the Bible. Instead, God and his disciples feasted on food from the earth, such as herbs, olives, unleavened bread, dates, lamb, and beans. These and other whole foods are easier for the body to digest, and they provide the fuel our children’s bodies need to grow healthfully.
Focus on forgiveness.
One of the brightest lessons that God teaches us is forgiveness. After all, if he did not forgive us for our sins, we wouldn’t be able to follow him into the kingdom of heaven. We must show forgiveness to our children and ask them to forgive us our shortcomings. Focus On The Family acknowledges that forgiveness might not always seem “fair,” but it is essential to our children’s overall well-being. To showcase an attitude of forgiveness, we must encourage them to look from the perspective of others.
We also have to be active role models and show them that forgiveness is not conditional. Though we might have been wronged, we do not need to carry around the burden of anger. Remember, forgiveness is not so much for the person we are forgiving, but for us so that we might focus our energy on more positive aspects of our lives.
It is up to us to showcase positive behaviors to our children from their earliest age. In doing so, we can better take care of the gift that God has given us in our progeny. Perhaps more importantly, we can raise up the next generation of young men and women to serve in his glory.
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