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| Our Vizio TV would seem to be conspicuously out of place in this picture. |
A number of months back, I posted about "keeping reality" in front of our kids. It's been just about a year since I posted that and, while being late isn't always better than never, in this case it is. I hope.
So what was that post from the distant past about? Essentially, it had to do with being aware of ways in which we might assume our kids aren't "catching" things. Hey, Winnie the Pooh is great. But if my littlest girl grows up thinking that she's missing her tail and will be really bummed out until she finds it, she's been influenced more than she should have been. The thrust of that first post was largely in the negative: thinking about things that might be harmful. And because each family has different convictions about what's appropriate for their children, I think it suffices to say: at least think about what might be influencing your children away from thinking God's thoughts after Him.
What I do want to focus on, though, is something I think is incredibly exciting and, I trust, a blessing for families young, old, or not yet started: how do we help our kids think about things in a God-centered way? That's a big question and I'm not going to pretend you'll sever your boy's attachment to video games overnight. And you're not going to remedy the princess obsession in three easy steps. Parenting is designed by God to be a constant labor and it doesn't stop. That might be scary for some of us and it might sound taxing. But I'm convinced that, hard as it is, appealing to God for grace - sufficient, sustaining grace - our thinking about walking a harder path than DVRing Sesame Street and checking out can go from mental groans to excitement, anticipation, and thanksgiving. Think about it like this: If we believe that we don't drum up our own resources to obey God's commands, but depend wholly on His grace, then that promise of grace extends to His commands to love and care for our children. So, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" is, by the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, more than something that we know we should do, but only feel it hanging over us. It's a gracious command for those who are in Christ. So with that - and the myriads of other examples and commands in the Scriptures that call parents to love their kids by keeping Scripture before them - I'd like to start looking at some ways we can do this.
Before getting to specifics, let me just say: this is some untamed territory for a lot of us. For various reasons, this generation of Christians has not had a consistent, beacon-like example of "practical godliness" in the home. We've become so focused on ourselves and seeing family life as something to be "defended," that we've lost our bearings about what we should be proactively doing. And while I'm all for saying what families "aren't," the church needs to get back into the business of encouraging them to be something special, holy, and reflect the calling God has on them. So, here's to going forward and setting a positive course for honoring God in our homes. I'm really encouraged to see a reviving of this throughout the church, as families crave more of what is so special about being a family that seeks to glorify and enjoy God together. Movies like Courageous are gently cattle-prodding dads to take responsibility for their families and walk in accountability with each other. Young men are catching a fresh vision for cultivating "family worship time" in their homes throughout the week, helping to avoid the Sunday to Sunday disconnect that is so common with busy lives and demanding jobs. Praise God for this trend!
It's my hope that the posts to come about serving our kids in the spirit of Deuteronomy 6 - to keep God's Word before them when we're sitting down together, when we're out walking in the woods or at the mall, taking a walk or going to bed - will help you to consider some really practical ways to shoot for this in your home. And along with talking about these things, I want to give you some steps to try walking in as well, little goals to aim for, that might help you put things into practice that, over time, might grow to be one of the greatest blessings you enjoy together as a family and something that your kids will give thanks to God for when they're starting families of their own.
Before closing, let me add a special note here for those whose kids are grown and gone and those who aren't able to have kids or who aren't married yet: you've got a church full of families who want to get things right. And when we do things like child dedications, we're committing together, as the church, to serve these little ones together. While you might have heartache over time lost or time not had, I'd encourage you to think about how you might serve the families around you. Not just by babysitting. That might help. But say hi to the little guy who looks like he's having a rough day. Ask him what he thought of the sermon. Ask how you can pray for a family or invite them over for dinner. Teach Sunday school. There's a man at our church whose primary ministry is greeting people and teaching "the darlings," none of which are his own children - but he loves to teach these little ones and interact with them. The lines aren't always as bold between young and old, married and single, families with kids and those without, as we might think.
Lord willing, in a day or two we'll tackle our first family tool: Scripture memory.
To God Alone Be the Glory,
-Chris
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