Read It, Learn It,
Live It, Share It with your friends
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for
they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity” – Proverbs 3:1-2
I have been
teaching my son and daughters many different things this summer: how to paint,
how to build a fence, how to fix a chain when it falls off their bike, how to
read, how to tie shoes, how to greet someone with a handshake, how to roller
skate, how to play guitar and so on and so on.
These are the things that come naturally when we are raising our
children. They each have their own
development curve and the activities we take for granted in our old(er) age
they must learn. They pick up so much through
simple observation of our actions and characteristics, but some things they
need us to stop, come down to their level and teach them. Most of this seems
trivial, but I want to stress that it’s not.
Let me share with you a recent example. I was with David (age 6) and reached out my hand to him. He kind of looked at it for a second and then slowly lifted his hand but gave me a high five (slapped hands) instead. I looked at him and said, “No Son, you need to shake my hand. It’s how you greet someone, and then you introduce yourself.” David looked at me, and asked one question; “Why?” I couldn’t help but recall a scene from the Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie, where Lucy (the youngest daughter) enters Narnia for the first time and encounters Mr. Tumnus at the light post. He poses the same question to her when she extended her hand to introduce herself. Anyway, I explained to David that it is good manners and polite and that a man’s handshake should be firm and strong, but not squeezing. He laughed and said, “Okay, hey Dad, you want to see the new airplane I built from legos?” Ahhh, the mind of a child moves so quickly from one topic to another.
Let me share with you a recent example. I was with David (age 6) and reached out my hand to him. He kind of looked at it for a second and then slowly lifted his hand but gave me a high five (slapped hands) instead. I looked at him and said, “No Son, you need to shake my hand. It’s how you greet someone, and then you introduce yourself.” David looked at me, and asked one question; “Why?” I couldn’t help but recall a scene from the Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie, where Lucy (the youngest daughter) enters Narnia for the first time and encounters Mr. Tumnus at the light post. He poses the same question to her when she extended her hand to introduce herself. Anyway, I explained to David that it is good manners and polite and that a man’s handshake should be firm and strong, but not squeezing. He laughed and said, “Okay, hey Dad, you want to see the new airplane I built from legos?” Ahhh, the mind of a child moves so quickly from one topic to another.
This has me
wondering though about the children around the world. Parents are teaching them about the life
skills required in this world, but who is teaching them about God? Who is teaching your children? I believe it is the one of the most important
things you need to do in this life. Your
children need to understand the importance of the grace of God through His Son
- Jesus Christ. You cannot rely on
someone else to share this with them and to help them understand this eternal
gift. You can’t save them, and they can’t
get to heaven on your faith. This is one
purpose for your life that you cannot take for granted. It’s not enough to know that you are secure
in your faith and eternal destiny, your children must also understand the
importance of this decision. Lord knows,
if we don’t teach them, someone else will, and you’ll have no visibility to
their perspective. As for me, I’m not
interested in someone else teaching my children about morals, character, values
and above all else God.
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