What is one of the most meaningful conversations that you have had with your children?
Where were you sitting?
How did it impact your relationship?
Today I am going to tell you about a conversation between an old soul and a young heart. It rocked their world!
But first, let me ask you…
What are your priorities for your children and how are you preparing them for these things?
Happiness?
Success?
A good education?
Good health?
Good relationships?
Good marriage?
We have our children for approximately 18 years. During those 18 years, they are under our care to pour as much into them as we can. Once they are adults we can still pour, but the spout is no longer full pour but more of a light sprinkle. Once they are raised, the foundation has been laid. We must trust that what we have laid for them will anchor them.
Make a list of the top three things you want to teach your children, then set that list aside.
Let me tell you a story about an old soul and a young heart…
The Israelites had escaped the land of Egypt and had wandered in the desert for 40 years. They didn’t hang out in the wilderness because they liked to camp. They were disobedient people towards God, so God continued to give them time and a lot of space to get their act together. But they didn’t!
“Of all those I (God) rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give… for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly.” Numbers 32:11 NLT
Now here’s the stark reality…
Our disobedience can cause death (maybe not physically, but emotionally and spiritually) and we may never see what is promised! I will have to write a blog on that some day!
Fast forward on the story a bit…it is NOW time for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land!
We often read that with little emotion. But take a moment and let your mind wrap around this! These people had waited 40 years to see what God had promised. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait 2 weeks for a promise!
They had watched their parents die, suffered many losses and now it was time for the promise.
God said to Moses…gather your people and speak!
“These are the commands, decrees, and the laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and command that I give you, and so that you may enjoy a long life.” Read Deuteronomy 6:1, 2. NLT
So, on a hot sunny day in the wilderness, the people gathered at the edge of the river to hear the words of Moses. He would soon die never seeing the Promised Land for himself, so final words from him were like gold.
Sitting with their own children and their children’s children, they listened!
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4, 5
“Repeat them (God’s commands) 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 6:7
First, parents…you must own your own faith! It must be real, and it must be deep!
Second, teach these things to your children! And again, it must be real, and it must be deep!
What if your child’s faith was solely determined by your faith? How deep would it be?
When they are young, they are moldable. As they grow older, they become independent in their faith. If you lay this foundation deep at a young age, when they grow older the foundation is solid…even if they stray! The catching of their faith is on them, but the teaching is on you!
God’s plea through Moses was…” Follow them! Please follow them! Your parents and grandparents are dead and never saw the promise land because they chose not to follow., Please be different…it’s so simple… Follow, Listen, and Learn!”
As, they sat at the edge of the Jordan river they were mesmerized by the words of Moses. His eyes filled with tears as he looked around the crowd knowing he was seeing hope once again, hope in a new generation.
Picture this…as they were sitting in the quiet of Moses’ wisdom, there is a sweet voice heard in the crowd. Little Billy tugs on the tunic of his father and whispers rather loudly…
“Daddy, what is he talking about?”
Billy’s daddy leans over looking at his precious little son and with tears in his eyes replies…
“I’ll explain later son. But things are going to be different from here on out.”
Billy’s dad knows that from this day forward things would change. Things would be different from how his parents raised him; different from how he had been living his own life; different, really different.
What we pass on to our children is totally within our control as parents!
If we want to teach them how to be happy, we can control that!
If we want to teach them success, we can teach that!
If we want to teach them to have a good education, we can do that too!
If we want to teach them Jesus…well, I think you know what I am going to say!
In the simplicity of Gods words, He tells us to teach our children one thing…
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
But He also tells us how to do it…
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 6:7
Our lives with our children should be filled with conversations about God. We need to soak up every opportunity to have “God talks”. When your child discovers a beautiful butterfly, tell him who created it. When they stumble and scrape their knee, tell them that God cares for them when they hurt. When their best friend betrays them, remind them that God is always faithful.
Some of my sweetest conversations with my boys were bedtime and car rides. Make the most of your moments!
So, we must ask ourselves as parents, what is our priority?
Whatever is priority to us will become priority to them!
Now, pull out your piece of paper from earlier.
What is one thing you would change?
Before we go, let me share one mom’s story. Diane has a son who is a successful soccer player. He is now on scholarship at a prestigious university. Those sacrifices did not come easy! As we stood outside church this weekend, I asked her how Lawson was doing. She didn’t tell me how his soccer was going…which I already knew they had just won the Big 10 Conference…she told me how much he loved his bible study group. This is a momma who I know struggled to instill in her kids a love for Jesus. All I can say is that it stuck! When we teach a deep foundation in Jesus, that foundation sticks! No matter what their choices become later in life, the foundation is always the same.
What do you choose for your children’s foundation?
THE WALK 
Thank you for your insight of consistency of our Faith
LikeLiked by 1 person