Parenting is more than feeding your kids and teaching them to
tie their shoes. We all know that. There are certain core beliefs that each of
us cling to and long to pass on to our children. I call these “big picture"
lessons. I imagine if we all compared our "big picture" notes for our kids they’d
all look pretty similar, perhaps worded a bit different, but with the same
general themes.
I recently sat down with myself and had a little pow-wow.
You would think after 10 years of parenting I’d have this plan in place already.
Not so much. Anyway, these are my lessons. If I teach my children nothing else, I pray that I would
have at least have planted these seeds.
Be Brave
Truly following Jesus means being willing to do things that
are not safe, sometimes they are flat out dangerous. I need you to be ok with
that. You need to know that having faith requires a great amount of courage. Way more courage than following the crowd requires. Be brave. Do things that other people think are crazy. If Jesus is
calling you, close your eyes and jump in. He’ll be there to catch you, I
promise.
Be heard
You have a voice. Use it. Use your voice to build, to
encourage, to love. Be a fiery furnace. Use your words to set the world on fire. Whether your voice is heard by a world full of people or
just the tiny babies in your arms, know that your words will change the course
of the future. Use them wisely. Speak for Jesus. Speak for those the weak.
Speak for those who will never be heard. Whoever you choose to speak for is up
to you. Just be sure to speak up for someone.
Be an investor, not a consumer
Invest in people, not in possessions. Clothes and furniture
go out of style. Love never will. It hasn’t yet. Embrace life. Embrace the living. Embrace those
that need your warmth and compassion. Make time for people. Your love is the
best weapon you have.
Be still.
Be still. Slow down. I’ve been known to say these words to
you and your siblings time and time again. Usually they slip out when things
are a bit on the chaotic side and there are more questions flying at me than I
can answer in the course of my lifetime. Though I might frantically tell you to
slow down and be still for my own sanity, it really is in your best interest to
not fly through life. Take your time. Breathe. Taste your food. Enjoy what you have.
3 comments:
Great advice. I am inspired.
Great things to teach! Parenting is one of the hardest things I've ever done but also the most rewarding. While in the trenches of teaching hard lessons, I so easily get bogged down, but when someone gives me feedback on one of my children acting correctly not in my presence...well, there's such reward in that.
Thanks so much for sharing! Oh, and no bribing on the photos of my boy! He used to scowl big time, but I explained to him how important it is to me to document how much he's growing, his likes, and all that so that we can look back on those. Now I just try to pick the right time (judging by his mood) to tell him we're going to take photos. I guess it has all worked because he's cooperated 2 years in a row now!
Amen! Thank you.
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