Teaching the next generation

As we age and grow, many tend to reflect on all the things we learned as a child.  Everything from how to walk, how to ride a bike without training wheels, catching bugs, how to treat others with kindness and respect, grammar school, parenting.  I obviously can’t speak for others; I can however speak for myself.  As I am growing older and raising children; I’m finding that as I have found my way back to God, that my children have so much to learn, and I am, in large part responsible for teaching them so very many things.  Coping with troubles with friends and classmates, little tidbits on cooking (age appropriate), reading, and especially bringing the Lord into our home.  Recently we had a discussion about lying.  I pointed out that it is a sin and 1 of the 10 commandments.  They looked at me oddly.  I stopped what I was doing and sat to explain what those were and broke it down into words they can understand and relate to.  This was a bit challenging to find a way for them to understand.  This got me thinking about how we as a family can have the Lord in our Home MORE, outside of nightly prayer and Sunday services.  Hence this blog on teaching the next generation.  I see it missing in our home and I feel it is missing in most homes.  Sometimes, we don’t know where to start and how best to approach it. 

I love reading daily devotional books, they teach the word, share a way to relate it and encourage us.  But speaking honestly, I never feel like it’s enough for me.  I’ve sat to read children's Bible stories with my kids, but again; yes it teaches a story and morals, but I don’t feel it is enough either.  Recently I found a devotional book for girls (my kiddos at home are girls).  I thumbed through it and thought it might be a good start.  The devotional is “365 Days to Knowing God for Girls” by Carolyn Larsen.  My husband and I thought it would be a great way to start the day with them over breakfast.  My thought process to this is, if we send them out into the world first thing in the day with the lesson in the front of their mind, it may stick there longer.  I’m here to tell you it works.  We have been doing this all month in April.  The girls love it, they ask as soon as they sit for breakfast to do it.  Both have even come home after school and told me more times than not how they applied what we are learning.  This is so very encouraging.  I am of the crafty sort; I am working on a sign for our home with the 10 Commandments in words they understand. 

That aside, I believe deep down as a parent we set the role and example.  If you observe humanity, we tend to emulate the environment we are in.  Young siblings emulate older siblings.  They even love to play copy games with us.  If we take the time; even 5 minutes in the morning; to teach them something from the bible and make it relatable to them and what they are going through, it will make a difference.  Not just a difference, but THE difference.  It truly is our responsibility to teach them the morals we want them to live by.  Look at society, the Devil is infiltrating everything and breaking down those morals we were all taught.  So not only by teaching our young, but we are also reminding ourselves the importance of keeping God in our lives and homes.  Putting up the shield from evil.  The key thing here is that while teaching them, we are relearning and in this with the help and guidance of the Lord; he is our invisible training wheels and keeps us all safe and loved.  Keep teaching the next generation and anyone no matter their age when you see they need a little guidance.

Supporting others

It all begins with an idea. It might be simply helping a person by holding the door open. Or it might be donating a meal to the care behind you in the drive thru. There are so many ways to help and support our communities and the world at large. We give to many missions monthly. These giving’s help locally, state wide, and across the sea. We support a local agency in Gallatin County with supplies and clothes for those who do not have much. Native American missions with education and giving in the reservations along side of learning about our Lord. We help across the sea with education both academic and Christian, as well as meals, supplies, housing, resources in villages, medical help and all else that is in need.

The focus of this months blog is to just highlight that we as a church help others, however there are so many things a single person can do in such big ways to support others. We strive to be like Jesus and spread the good word and do the good work. This does not mean we need to go out and every person we come in contact with to just start preaching the words of the bible. What it means is that a word that is spoken that is good; that is the good word. Kind replies, kind smiles, kind gestures. Especially when people are not so kind. We all fight a battle that others can not see. We know nothing of what may have happened in ones past or even 10 minutes ago. The saying of a simple smile may simply save someone else’s life in that moment is very true.

Doing the Lords work essentially means helping others. Helping hold the door, helping a friend through a rough time, picking up someone else’s carelessly discarded trash, listening. By following the Lords laws and living a little more like Jesus we set the example. We as a person and as a people can make a difference. We can do good in his name and his ways. We can be shown the way to lead someone to water and help them find Jesus. We can make a difference in so many ways.

I am teaching my children these simple lessons every day from being helpful, to doing something nice even when other kids or their sibling is not being so nice. Reminding them; is that what Jesus would do. So my challenge to you is to take each day as they come, be grateful for the sunrise and the sunset. Start the day with some note of positivity and watch it spread to others.

May all good things come your way and Bless you in the name of our Lord and Savior!