Category Archives: Conversation

Teaching Our Children God’s Word and When Light Meets Daily Life -IV-

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Friday is here, and so is my sister. This is the second part of this series; part I is here.
So grab your cup of tea and enjoy while you read.

The images on this post are also from Claire B.
 
Light meets our Daily Life...
His perfect light meets us even in the kitchen, over some muffins,
and a godly conversation with our children.
 
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Teaching our kids God’s Word, is a great privilege which we often take for granted; many often figure that our children’s spiritual growth will come out from Sunday School and that as long as they are familiar with Bible stories (Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jonah, Adam and Eve, David and Goliath…) and have a favourite one, we are doing well. Oh! How little we value God’s Word! How little we treasure His law! And how little we fear His teachings!
 
If we could focus in teaching our kids God’s Word, read it reverently, and when we pray, pray focusing on what we are saying, studying faithfully, and asking Him to open our eyes and the eyes of our kids to understand what we read, to change our hearts, and to see Jesus Christ throughout the Bible as the only hope for us. Many read as a habit, routine or even as a hope that if I do all that I need to do, I’ll be good with God. Do we read to our kids, not just the story of Daniel as a cool story with lions in it with angels and a great miracle? But a story where we see God’s sovereign hand throughout the whole book, teaching us that God does as He pleases, and He bends the heart of whomever He wants to bend. We can see God’s character, God’s mercy, God’s providence, God’s wrath, God’s forgiveness… Much about God’s character is shown to us through each of these stories.
We see Jesus Christ, the promise the hope.

Why not teach our kids ALL about God? We are often afraid that they are too young and that they may not understand. But they understand! They need those truths now that they are young; they need to understand them now and anchor them in their hearts. We are obliged to do so if we profess to be Christian parents. They need to fear God and be wise.  We need to teach them stories written in the Bible like the one in 2 Kings 2:23-25 to understand the dangers of mocking others. We need to teach them that Jonah, was not a fantasy story, but was real, the people he was asked by God to preach to, were sinners; and we can see God’s sovereignty, God’s judgement, God’s faithfulness, His patience, His love, His wrath! God does as He pleases! We can trust this God in the Bible and teach our kids, that they too can trust Him.

We need to show them who God is in everything we do and say. We need to be a witness of Christ inside our doors, before we are a witness to the world. We need to live Christianity in the secret of our house if we want our kids to follow Christ. If the world is more persuasive than their religion, they will follow. But when they know Christ, love His laws, know the doctrine to defend their faith; then Christ, His love and His forgiveness will be far more persuasive for them than any treasure the world may offer.

That is why, for as long as we are parents, we need to bring our kids to the cross, bring them to the knowledge of Him who died for them, explaining their need and dependence in Him. Forget for once about self-esteem and teach them to find their value in God alone, in that sovereign Lord who does as He pleases. They will know who you are talking about. They will know that Lord is in control of all and their souls can rest in Him. If they are good at something is because God made them good, therefore that must use that for God’s glory. If they lack abilities, also the Sovereign God gave them that so that they will not boast in themselves, but go to Him and ask.

We need to bring them to Christ, to the cross and to their need and absolute dependence on Him every day, every hour, every minute of the day.

May God give us grace to live our lives showing all that Christ is to our family.
 
Norma. 

 This is a repost from the archives.

Thoughts for Wives

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A friend of mine just posted this on her fb profile:

“I had to make that step (leaving fb) to get my priorities straight and to spend more time with my hubby who was going to bed alone too much lately….while I was on facebook…..ouch!…”

And Jamie also reminded us of this when she says,

“Because I remember as a young, engaged woman the anticipation that I felt, knowing that one day soon I would be able to go to bed with the man I loved each night and wake up with him each morning.  Oh, how I looked forward to that!  I dreamed of the intimate conversations we’d have, heads on our pillows, smiling and laughing as we reminisced about the day’s happenings.  I could hardly wait for those evenings!

And so, still today (nearly 11 years later!), I try to continue to fan that same flame and look forward to our quiet time together in the evenings…We spend a few solo minutes reading a chapter in a book or checking emails, maybe posting a quick note to the blog or facebook, but then I remember…

We need our special “pillow talk” time together.  And I still look forward to going to bed with the man I love every night and waking up with him each morning!”

 I have to say that lately I have been guilty of this, either checking my fb or writing a post is robbing me of this special “pillow talk” with the one I love.

So here I am,  following the example of other godly women, I will not be checking my fb at nights and I will journal here just as time permits.

My priorities should be straight at all times, and in doing so, I glorify my God, and honor my man.

An invitation, if you know someone who speaks Spanish, please refer them to our Spanish blog, Delicias A Tu Diestra Para Siempre, we (my sister and I) are posting an important series on what it means to be a modest woman.

P.S. Just in case you are wondering why I chose such a picture on this post, let me tell you…  I used this picture because it reminds of a time my husband and I spent together, and because I needed to remind myself that I  must build bridges of love between us.

Learning to Converse

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I heard our conversation and I certainly did not like it. I did not like it because of me. My dialogue, my lines were too long, repetitive. I wanted to make a point clear, but as I listened carefully to those words coming out from my mouth, I though more about a continual dripping of rain, than a healing balm.

My words certainly did not taste as honey.

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
                                                          Proverbs 10:19

Here I was, a Mom of many words…

But I want to do do something about my conversation with my young adult children; I want it to be fruitful, blessed, sweet, and profitable.

“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
   and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
   when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
                                                  Proverbs 17: 27-28

I read this and many others passages in the Scriptures, and I realized that the only way to improve my conversations with my children (and everyone else!) is to say fewer words, and listen more.

Before saying my twenty five thousand words about a topic, it would be better for me to learn to restrain my words and listen first to what they have to say, listen to them attentively and then speak wise words to their hearts. This, I am sure, is more efficient.

The hardest thing, however,  is to break patterns that we have been dragging behind us; it is easier not to listen to our children, and just say what we think they ought to do; but this attitude will only bring grief, and will not nourish the relationship I am longing to have with them.

I wrote these questions to help me examine my conversation with my children:

1. When I am busy doing something, and one of my children wants to tell me something, do I stop immediately what I am doing to listen him?
-Yes, I have also said that what I am doing is very important…but to be true, those “super important” things could have waited ten minutes or so?

2.When one of my children is talking to me, am I listening attentively or my mind is somewhere else?
-I have been guilty of this one, especially with the little ones.

3. When I need to correct them, do I listen to what they have to say first?
-Letting them talk and explain to us their “side of the story” is not wrong; if we have instructed them in ways of the Lord, by now, they should know how to express themselves respectfully with us.

4.When I give them a chance to talk and explain, am I listening with a humble attitude, or I am just waiting until they finish to say what I have to say? Am I willing to say, “I am sorry, you are right, and I am not”?
-This is crucial, if they do not see in me a humble attitude, they will not choose to come to me. No one wants to engage in conversations with the prideful.

5. Do I enjoy listening to them?
-My children will have to give the answer to this one.

Today I am here, learning to converse.

What are some ways you have learned in your journey about conversing with your children?

The pictures were taken by Annie, and I chose them to remind me that I need to start applying all these principles with my little one!