“Now this is the commandment . . . that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you . . . that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life . . . "
There is no way I can tell you how to raise your children or how to instruct them. I am still too much in the midst of it all to have the answers. But, perhaps I can encourage you with some thoughts that have encouraged me to keep on with this job that some days wears us down. As I heard on the in(RL) webcast on the weekend: "These kids are going to wear you out, but they are not going to kill you."
This is not about the method you may choose to educate your children. Whether your children are at home or in school, we are called to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord. Just as the Israelites were to relate to their children how the |Lord God redeemed them from Egypt, we also have the responsibility to faithfully speak of how God has redeemed our lives back to Himself.
It always starts with the heart.
Instruct with All Your Heart
"It is only the heart that captures the heart of another. It is the loving warmth of interest and affection of the teacher that awakens corresponding emotions in the heart of the pupil . . . It is your duty and your joy to love the Lord your God with all your heart. If you love Him, then love His words, too. Let them live in your heart and let them have a place in your affections . . . Let holy love for God and His words mingle with your tender love for your little ones . . . When the work of instructing the children becomes a burden, you may be sure it is an indication of something wrong in your own heart . . . parental love [is] elevated and strengthened by the love of God and inspired by His own Holy Word."
Instruct with Diligence
" . . . the godly parent must use diligence to consider how he can best penetrate the child's heart with the words that he speaks . . . must carefully consider how he can best gain both the child's understanding and affections. He does this by making the most of opportunities and activities in which the child is interested. The parent must also learn the art of speaking in the spirit of love. His whole life must be an attractive example of what he has taught. There is nothing that drives home the word of instruction like a consistent and holy life."
Instruct with Perseverance
"The entrance of divine truth into the mind and heart, the formation of habit and the training of character, are not attained by sudden and isolated efforts, but by regular and unceasing repetition. This is the law of all growth in nature, and God seeks to make use of this law in His Kingdom . . . From early morning to evening rest--the whole day provides occasion for uninterrupted fellowship with the Holy One. Every activity can be used to point the little ones to the unseen and ever-near Father in heaven."
A Mother's Prayer
"Blessed God, give me wisdom and grace to be the teacher of my children that You would have me to be. I see how You do not permit any other to assume the parent's position . . . Fill our hearts with Your love and Your Word. Help us to sharpen Your words deep into our children's hearts. Help us all day long to walk in Your presence, and influence our children for You. Amen"
*****
There's a little book, 'Raising Your Children for Christ' by Andrew Murray, on my shelf that I keep bringing down and leafing through and, Lord willing, on Wednesdays {or Thursdays}I hope to share snippets of my gleanings from it.
I don't claim to know all the answers. I need to dig deeper so that I can be even more equipped to be the mother that God intended. Join me on this journey? It is not a list of rules and how-to's but rather a chance to look into your own life and heart and be challenged to live a life wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord.
For the first post in this series on Intentional Motherhood you can find it here.
For all posts in this series you can read them here.
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