The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Children

I am not claiming to have it all together when it comes to raising children. I have been a Dad for 11 years and have four children. I do, however, believe my parents had it all together when they raised me. After all, my Dad wrote a book on parenting. Smile.

I can imagine, based on the title of this blog, you are probably expecting answers such as: Love your children unconditionally. Love your spouse. Spend quality time with your children. Buy nice things for your children. Take your children to church. Maybe you would even come up with a deeply profound and significant idea like lead your children in Bible study. These are all good ideas, but it is not what I feel is the most significant practice you will incorporate as a parent.

The best thing you can do for your children (insert drum roll) is for you to build your relationship with God. Taking your children to church is great, praying for your children is great, even leading your children in Bible study devotions is great, but nothing is more important in parenting than for Moms and Dads to have a personal devotion and quiet time that is fresh and alive. Because once you walk closely with Jesus, then all the other things you want to do for your children will fall into place. If you have yet to follow Jesus, that is where you want to start.  Give your heart to Him and receive the grace, forgiveness and freedom that He brings.

We learn this practice from Jesus Himself. One of my favorite verses in all of the New Testament is Mark 1:35. This is what we read there: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." The reason I like it so much is because Jesus set the standard for us. If Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer, then surely we need to make this a daily practice.

My parents were a great example of this for me. They had a thriving walk with the Lord which flowed from their personal quiet time with Him. I found them morning after morning spending time at the feet of Jesus in private prayer and Scripture reading.

Here's the reason why this is so important: God has established a chain of command for the family. Paul explains this in Ephesians 5 & 6. First he points out that Christ is the head of marriage. Secondly, the husband is the head of the home. Wives are to submit to their husbands and husbands love their wives as Christ loves the church. In addition, Paul goes on at the beginning of chapter 6 to address children and remind them of the 5th commandment to honor and obey their parents. The chain of command we receive from God through Paul in Ephesians starts with God as the ultimate authority.  Parents are subject to the authority of God in their lives. Then, as parents grow in knowledge and understanding of God, children are subject to their parent's authority. This is why it is highly important for parents to have a thriving relationship with God.

If we, as parents, are not growing closer to God, we are growing away from Him. We will not be able to lead our children, the way God calls us to, if we do not have a relationship with God that is fully alive. If God is reviving our hearts as parents, then our children will be led closer to Jesus as well. We will never lead our children to places with Jesus where we haven't been ourselves. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."

Here is the good news: growing in Christ and being the kinds of parents God calls us to be is not something we just need to develop on our own. Paul gives us the secret ingredient to a thriving quiet time and empowered parenting in Ephesians 6:18. He says, "Be filled with the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is given to every follower of Jesus Christ at salvation. The Holy Spirit wants to fill us every day to take us to new places with Jesus so that we can parent our children well.

Journaling

I have recently started to journal. January 8 to be exact. At one point in my past, I journaled off and on, but it was never consistent. I would write a page and then miss a couple months. Like anything in life, in order to be good and to do it consistently, there needs to be discipline involved. Journaling takes time.  For me, it has become an important part of my quiet time with the Lord.

So, why have I all of a sudden taken up journaling? The main reason is that I feel God has led me into this. In addition, it was through a teaching I heard at a conference last December, where the speaker challenged everyone to take up a new discipline this next year to go deeper with Christ. In addition, my Dad has shared with me before, the inspiring reason for why he keeps a journal. He says, "If someone gave you $100, where are going to put it? (in your wallet) Then, if God gives you a word or message, do you have a place to put it?" Journaling allows a person to record these priceless deposits from the Lord.

There are basically three different areas that I write about in my journal:

1) Messages from God. These can be insights into His character or Scripture verses that jump out at me during my quiet time. These are any nuggets the Lord gives me that I don't want to forget.

2) Personal life details. As life unfolds, I want to record the highs and the lows. This will allow me to look back and see where I've been in order to recognize the faithfulness of God.

3) Prayers and Answers. As the Lord leads me to pray for specific needs, I write them down. Then, as I see the Lord work in response to these prayers, I go back and record what He has done.

My desire is to take the idea of a diary with a lock on it to a whole new level. I want to redeem the blank pages that my journal came with. By implementing this discipline, my life will be inspired by the faithfulness of God. Spiritual health is a result of incorporating good habits into your plan. Journaling is one that God is using to take my walk with God to a whole new level.

What has been your practice in journaling?  I would love to read your insights.