In spite of all the confusion and anxiety swirling around us, it is crucial to remember that we serve a God who is always the same, He never changes. He is not confused or surprised by this. He wants us to be reminded that He has given us the task, above all others, to teach our children about the Lord. We are called to be their first disciplers and mentors in our Christian faith.
What a time to be a parent! This year has been one for the books, a wild ride indeed. If I could sum up this year in one word it would be: pivot.
We have all had to pivot countless times as we watched our plans fall to the wayside. We saw school, activities, and church go online. At first there was a big part of me that looked forward to hunkering down with my husband and two elementary aged daughters. I envisioned embracing quiet nights at home playing board games. I figured the kids would be out of school for a little while, and we would all rest and enjoy the time. Surely we would be back to our regular lives by May. May turned into June, and now here we are in September, bracing for a new school year that turns out to be a complete pivot of what we thought it would be.
This fall I continue working from home and I will facilitate online school five days a week for my 3rd and 5th grade daughters.
It really is such a challenging time for everyone; there is no one right way to navigate this situation. Even the experts are confounded and not of one mind.
In spite of all the confusion and anxiety swirling around us, it is crucial to remember that we serve a God who is always the same, He never changes. He is not confused or surprised by this. He wants us to be reminded that He has given us the task, above all others, to teach our children about the Lord. We are called to be their first disciplers and mentors in our Christian faith. What our kids’ school days and our work days look like are secondary to cultivating a home filled with the Holy Spirit.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Moses was speaking to the Israelites as they were getting ready to enter into the promised land. I personally read this passage as a pep talk. One thing I love about this scripture is that it says nothing about perfection. We are imperfect parents raising imperfect children. It encourages us to talk and impress upon our children the love and commandments we know to be true by our faith in the Holy Scriptures. It does not tell us that we have to have all the answers or be able to say eloquent prayers in order to show our children the way of the Lord. It just says we must first love the Lord with everything in us.
Though we find ourselves in vastly different circumstances, one thing is certain; we are to pursue a deeper connection with the Lord our God and invite our children along for the ride. We share Christ most effectively through how we live our lives. There is so much grace for us when we mess up and fall short.
There is grace when you lose your temper and shout at your child. When this happens we must go to our child and ask them for forgiveness.
This scripture is not just asking us to teach it to our kids, but to go deeper in our own walks. We can’t give away what we don’t have, so I encourage you to deepen your relationship with Christ and watch how that impacts your family. Going deep looks like reading and studying scripture, spending quiet times of prayer with the Lord, talking to a spiritual director or counselor or going outside to marvel at His creation. Figure out how you personally connect with the Lord and do that thing often and with intention.
Friends, we are called to move towards discipling our kids during this season. What would it be like to be a church filled with young people on fire for the Lord? A congregation of parents who are confident that they are deeply known and deeply loved by God and are passing that onto their kids is a true picture of the Kingdom of God.
The pastors, staff, and leaders in VCKids are here for you. Though we are physically distanced during this time, we are here to answer questions, pray for you and support you as you usher your kids into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
