Let The Children Come ~ Teach Them About God

Last week, we learnt the importance of praying for our children and how to incorporate scripture in our prayers. This week, we’ll see how we can teach our kids about God.

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4)

As parents, we hold the bottom-line responsibility to teach our children about God. It is not something we can pass on to the church or the Sunday school teachers. But what do we teach them and when do we start?

My husband and I started teaching our kids about God when they were old enough to recognize the world around them. When they could identify the sky, clouds, trees, birds and animals; we started teaching them about God! Isn’t that where the Bible also starts? 🙂

An Awesome God

When our kids were old enough to identify nature, we started telling them how God made everything around them. We would point out to the sky, trees, animals… the sun, rain, lightening, thunder and tell them God made that. We didn’t use a children’s Bible or the creation story, but we should have. You’ll do better, right? 🙂

When kids start realizing how much God has created, they understand the awesomeness of God. And they might or might not say a few funny, yet impressive statements…

“See. It’s raining. Jesus turned the tap on.”

“Jesus, please stop the rain. I want to go out and play.”

A Personal God

It wouldn’t do any good if we taught our kids how awesome God is, and failed to mention how personal He is to each of them. When our kids were about two years old, we started telling them how close God is to them. We simply told them that Jesus lives in their hearts.

My husband even taught our kids this catchy song:

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Jesus stays in my heart.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
Jesus stays in my heart.
Everyday, all the way, Jesus stays in my heart.

When a child was scared, we would explain that Jesus was awake, watching over them (Psalm 121:3-4). We used every opportunity we could, to tell our kids what God had done for us. “Jesus helped us buy a car” or “Jesus healed your tummy pain“, are just a few examples of statements that made God relevant in our kids’ daily lives. We also encouraged them to speak to Jesus, just as they would to anybody else {but more on that in next week’s post}.

For all that we teach our kids about God, none of it matters until they seek Him for themselves. While that may take a few years, we should remain obedient to God and teach our kids about Him. As I mentioned in my introductory post, I am learning alongside you. How do you teach your kids about God? Would you care to share with us in the comments below?

Other posts in this series:

If you are blessed by this series, would you consider sharing it with a friend? And if you don’t want to miss a future post, you can sign up to receive new blog posts by email, or in a reader.

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Monthly Goals: September

Hello September! At the beginning of each month, I share my goals for the month ahead and track my progress on the previous month’s goals.

My goals for the month of August were:

  1. Finish the Good Morning Girls Proverbs 31 Bible Study. — Done
  2. Pray God’s Word over my sons using MOB Society’s prayer calendar. — Done
  3. Finish reading The Love & Respect Experience. — Done {Finally!}
  4. Read The Good Wife’s Guide again. — Done
  5. Read The Power of a Praying Wife. — In Progress {I have a few chapters left}
  6. Revise Psalm 23, John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) with the kids. — Done
  7. Read at least 8 new Kindle books to the kids. — Done
  8. Finish Weeks 7 & 8 in the Couch to 5K training plan. — Done
  9. Read through the book of Acts in the Bible. — Done
  10. Memorize Psalm 127. — Done

My goals for the month of September are:

  1. Start the Good Morning Girls Colossians Bible Study.
  2. Read through the book of Romans in the Bible.
  3. Finish reading The Power of a Praying Wife.
  4. Read The Sensational Scent of Prayer.
  5. Read Smooth Easy Days (FREE Download).
  6. Teach the kids to memorize Psalm 121:1-2.
  7. Read at least 10 new Kindle books to the kids.
  8. Simplify/downsize my wardrobe.
  9. Complete the last 2 weeks of the Couch to 5K training plan.
  10. Memorize Psalm 8.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 

You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Are you in the habit of setting weekly/monthly goals? If you do, how did you do last month? If you don’t, how do you keep track of things you need to get done?

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Counting My Blessings: 448 to 468

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100:1-2)

3 Gifts Long Awaited

448. Salvation.
449. Physical healing.
450. Jesus’ second coming?! 🙂

A Gift One, Two, Three

451. One twin tricycle, mangled by the kids.
452. Two cows on the road, that scared me witless.
453. Three marigold saplings.

3 Gifts Very Small

454. A tiny piece of Lego.
455. Sugar granules.
456. Coarsely ground home-grown pepper.

3 Miracles

457. A thumb that hurts no more.
458. Our triplets.
459. My salvation.

3 Gifts Summer

460. Crispy dried clothes.
461. Warm water from the kitchen tap.
462. Ice cream.

3 Gifts Cut

463. Jon’s hair.
464. A packet of noodles.
465. A loose thread.

3 Gifts Yellow

466. A yellow bath towel.
467. 3 yellow cotton shirts.
468. Yellow clothes clips.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #4

Here are some posts that have inspired me over the past week. Would you click through and check out these lovely blogs?

1. Now I Value Life @ Growing Home {A heart-rending story of God’s redemption and grace. Read on to see the beautiful transformation God worked in one woman’s life.}

2. Beatitudes For Homemakers @ Raising Homemakers {A little encouragement for homemakers, a reminder of what truly matters}

3. Sometimes, We Are Failing @ Sarah Mae {Are we distracted or intentional in parenting our children? A thought-provoking post.}

Did you read or write an encouraging blog post during the week? Share the link in the comments below, I’d love to check it out!

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Let The Children Come ~ Pray for Them

“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.” (I Samuel 1:27)

The easiest, and yet most important way we can lead our children to Jesus, is by simply praying for them. Ideally, we should start praying for them from the moment we realize God has given them life. A positive pregnancy test or seeing the child’s heart beating on the monitor for the first time is a reminder of the responsibility God is entrusting in our hands.

Initially my husband and I prayed for our kids’ lives, because we knew the risk of losing one or all of them. When we realized they were going to be premature, we prayed specifically that their organs would develop in time and that they’ll be the height and weight that God wanted them to be. We even prayed that they’ll be born on the day that God intended them to enter the world.

We prayed through the NICU days and quite a few major ailments, literally pleading with God for their lives. During trying times when their development was delayed, we prayed that they would progress at the pace that God wanted them to. But somewhere along the line, with all the exhaustion of mothering triplets; I stopped praying for their specific needs and started praying for more grace and strength to help me deal with them instead. Nothing wrong with that, except that I was not specifically praying for my children.

Over the past year, God has been moving in my heart, teaching me how to pray for my sons – for their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth. I recently read Warrior Prayers and that book spoke to my heart. I learnt that while we can train our kids to behave well, it will mean nothing if God doesn’t work in their hearts. We can pray that God will change our kids’ behavior, but isn’t it their hearts that truly matter? Isn’t it our ultimate desire to raise children who will learn to love God and follow His plan in their lives?

Through Warrior Prayers, I learnt to pray God’s Word for my kids. In simple terms, it is to read a verse from the Bible and fashion it into a prayer for your children.

For example the verse:

“…I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22b)

…becomes a prayer such as this:

“Lord, I pray that Jason, Jon and Judah will grow up to be men after Your own heart. May they choose to do everything You want them to do.”

I’ve made it a point to pray a verse over my sons at least once a day. And this is apart from praying for their other needs – good health, divine protection and (physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual) growth.

There are quite a few prayer calendars out there to help you pray for your children everyday. Here are the links to some of them:

  • The MOB Society {They publish a new prayer calendar every month. It’s tailored for sons but you could use the same for your daughters as well.}
  • Inspired To Action {Look for the link named “A Mother’s Prayer Calendar”, under the section “Downloadable Resources”.}
  • Time-Warp Wife {Free printable prayer cards}

If you are on Facebook, you may want to “Like” the following pages that post a prayer for our children everyday. You could simply pray along, when you see the prayers in your Facebook newsfeed.

You could use any of the resources I’ve linked to above, or you could simply adapt a verse from your daily Bible reading and pray it over your kids. If you aren’t in the habit of praying for your children, it’s not too late to start today. It doesn’t matter how old they are. Let’s make a commitment to pray for our kids everyday, that they will grow up to be men and women who will love Jesus and seek Him above all else.

Other posts in this series:

If you are blessed by this series, would you consider sharing it with a friend? And if you don’t want to miss a future post, you can sign up to receive new blog posts by email, or in a reader.

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A Habit A Month: Evening Routine

Towards the end of July, I resolved to work on an evening routine for me and the kids. I’m pleased to say that, apart from the 5 days when we were out of town, the kids and I have been following our evening routine four days a week.

Ideally, we should be following our evening routine on all weekdays, but we attend a prayer group meeting on Fridays. So, four days a week it is!

Here’s a rough outline of our late afternoons after the kids get back from school:

  • Kids wash up.
  • Lunch time.
  • Do the dishes and quick kitchen clear up.
  • Kids lie down for an hour. {They don’t have to sleep, but they have to remain quiet}.
  • During their quiet time, I edit/publish my blog posts, read a little, and reply to emails/comments.

And here’s what we do after the kids are up from their quiet time:

  • Kids are free to play for at least an hour.
  • They have a glass of chocolate milk.
  • Learn/review Bible verses.
  • Homework and study time {We try to review whatever they are taught in class, on a daily basis}.
  • By then my husband is home, so the kids hang out with him a while until it’s time for dinner.

This has been working pretty well for us, and the kids know what’s expected of them. Except for their quiet time (3:00 – 4:00 PM) and dinner time (7:30 – 8:00 PM), everything else is flexible. This gives the kids room to pursue anything else they may be interested in – drawing, coloring, playing with their cars, building with Lego and even going out to play if it’s not too cold.

The only thing this routine lacks is time to read with the kids. I wanted to incorporate it this month, but I just couldn’t make it work. So, I’ll be working on making reading to the kids a daily habit during the month of September. I’ll post my progress a month from now.

To Do: Stick to our evening routine and set apart time for reading.

To Read: How to Develop A Routine that Works – And Stick With It! {A four-part series from Money Saving Mom}.

To Ponder: 

“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 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.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)

“A Habit A Month” challenge is about working on just one habit a month – one small step at a time. Focus on just one area in your life that needs an overhaul and make it the habit you want to develop this month. It could be as simple as waking up early or spending time with God everyday. This would be an opportunity for you to actually take a step forward and work on that one good habit you have always wanted to develop. Or kick that one bad habit that has always been nagging your conscience. Are you up for it? Who’s with me?

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Counting My Blessings: 427 to 447

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:1-2)

A Gift Straight, Curve, Turn

427. Running on the straight road beside the park.
428. The triplets’ smiles.
429. Watching vehicles turn, while standing at the corner of the road with my sons.

3 Gifts in Light

430. The red glow of the morning son through my kitchen window.
431. The glare from the TV as my husband and I watch Masterchef Australia.
432. The indicator on a mosquito repellant.

3 Gifts Old

433. A cushion my husband bought me when I was pregnant.
434. An old tattered apron, now cut up into rags.
435. An old oven, passed on to me by a loving grandparent.

3 Gifts Moving

436. The wheels on our clothes stand.
437. My husband’s fingers as he plays the guitar.
438. Lips moving in praise at our prayer group meeting.

3 Gifts Fragile

439. A souvenier from Malaysia, gifted by a dear family.
440. Our good china.
441. Our 2 remaining large water glasses.

A Gift Cut, Sewn, Buttoned

442. The sons’ hair.
443. A darned sleeve.
444. The kids’ pants.

3 Gifts New

445. New stationary for the kids to give away at an orphanage.
446. A new healthy smoothie recipe.
447. A new wake-up time for me!

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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For God So Loved Me!

This month, I intended to review the memory verses that I had been teaching the kids the past few months. So, last evening, after their assignments were done, I drew the sons close and asked them to recite the verses for me.

Jason went first, and he breezed through Psalm 23 with only a little prompting from me. Next was John 3:16. The original verse goes like this:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

But what I heard from Jason was this…

“For God so loved ME that He gave His one and only Son…”

I proceeded to correct him, “It’s not ME, Jason.. It’s for God so loved the world…”. He repeated the rest of the verse flawlessly, but he left me pondering.

I’ve never said those words out aloud. “For God so loved me that He gave His one and only Son”. That’s the truth, isn’t it? The Word of God is so personal. The fact that God sent Jesus to die on my behalf, for my sins, is personal.

It left a stirring in my heart, as I moved on to hear what another son was reciting. And I heard Judah’s voice sweetly proclaiming, “For God so loved me…”.

Lord, thank you for little children who teach me how to make your Word personal.

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #3

Here are some posts that have inspired me over the past week. Would you click through and check out these lovely blogs?

1. Make The Most Of Your Mornings @ Money Saving Mom {This is a 3 week challenge for those who struggle to wake up and get things done in the mornings. It’s an ongoing series and I’ve linked to the first post, but you’ll want to check out the links to all subsequent posts as well.}

2. How Many Bites @ (in)courage {A short, simple post on why we cannot judge another}

3. What It Takes To Become An Olympian @ Dave Ramsey {An Olympic analogy with sound advice on how we can reach our goals – be it losing weight or getting out of debt}

Did you read or write an encouraging blog post during the week? Share the link in the comments below, I’d love to check it out!

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Let The Children Come – Introduction

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

We’ve often heard sermons on the latter part of this verse, but today my focus is on the first half.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. ~ Jesus

I believe this verse is a direct instruction to me as a parent. It is my responsibility to let my children come to Jesus. I have to lead them towards Him and not hinder them in any way. At times the responsibility weighs heavily on me – to raise sons who will be men after God’s own heart, who will love Him and seek His will in their lives. But all my efforts would be in vain if not for God’s grace and favor in my children’s lives.

Based on this verse, I’ve been inspired to write a series of blog posts titled “Let The Children Come”. It will be a 5 part series, posted every Wednesday starting next week (if all goes according to plan). Each week, we’ll be focusing on one way we can bring our children to Jesus. I will be sharing simple and practical tips that my husband and I follow in leading our children closer to God.

That being said, I do not proclaim to know it all. I am a flawed, imperfect human being who is learning alongside you. What we have in common is the passion to raise our children for the glory of God. I pray this series will be a blessing to you – that God will use it to enrich your parenting. Will you join me in this journey to lead our children closer to Jesus?

Other posts in this series:

If you are blessed by this series, would you consider sharing it with a friend? And if you don’t want to miss a future post, you can sign up to receive new blog posts by email, or in a reader.

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