Image credit: kudryashka / 123RF Stock Photo

So my little man is doing much better in guitar!  He had some trouble with getting the rhythm and some of it stemmed from his strong will…I can’t imagine where he got that…  So here is the answer to a mother’s prayer: the guitar teacher, Mr. Anderson, took Josh’s troubles to heart.  He really wanted my son to “get it”; and so he and his wife did research about how a kid with some motor planning problems could get up that mountain.  He even called his brother to brain storm.  Best of all, they prayed hard for him.  That part got me a little teary eyed.  It is such a blessing to know that other Christians are walking alongside you in your parenting.  His teacher and I both knew that this was more than just music…this obstacle was about obedience and perseverance and love and faith.

• Obedience:  Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1).  I have told my Sweet Boy many times that he needed to practice the way he had been told to do, out of obedience.  I told him that since God selects our leaders, He had chosen Mr. Anderson to be his teacher.  Teachers must be obeyed and students must maintain teachable hearts.

• Perseverance:  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (1 Cor 9:24-26).  This has been one of our family verses for about 4 years.  I try to remind the kids of it when they encounter obstacles.  I want them to see that obstacles are always opportunities to develop perseverance and strengthen faith by remembering Who the LORD is and who we are in Him.

• Love:  It takes love to teach children.  Not the kind of love that looks the other way when they stumble over their own strong wills, but a love that will confront and encourage and set high expectations – the same kind of love our Father has for us.  My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights (Prov 3:11-12).

• Faith:  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).  The only way to count trials as joy is by trusting in the LORD, in His goodness and in His plan.  We think of children as having faith more easily than adults, but parents must demonstrate trusting in the LORD during trials; because each victory is a memorial to the faithfulness of the LORD.  A memorial is something that serves as a reminder of, or commemorates, an important event…In your family’s life of faith, there should be many memorial stones, reminders of God’s faithfulness, that you all can point to along the path you’ve traveled.

Let’s not miss opportunities to point our children to the LORD when they face discouragement or failure.  The Bible is clear that these are the times that (1) we can rely on Him and (2) He at work, accomplishing His purposes.  Of course, as parents, we must trust Him ourselves first in our own lives, and also in the lives of our children.  The best way to point  children to Him is by our example.

Just like we discussed last post, as we go through our days together, we are to tell our children who He is, and who they are in Him.  And the way of “telling” about  the LORD comes by hearing and doing the Word, together.  In today’s example, I just took an event that occurred in the life of our family, and looked for how it intersected with the Word – showing how the Word is at work in our lives already.  This is both hearing and doing!

Please take a minute to comment and let us know how the LORD is at work in your family!