Things To Teach Our Children Part 6

Things To Teach Our Children Part 6

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Teaching our children about the goodness of God.

I reached for my wallet and then realized that I had forgotten it when I changed pants before going shopping. Now I will have to drive all the way home for my credit card and then back again to get this part for my mower so I can get the lawn mowed before it rains tonight.

This situation presents me with a choice; I can get upset and grumble, or I can praise God for His goodness, guidance and protection while I’m driving home with the kids.

If I complain, I will communicate to the my sons that God is not always good—“Why didn’t He remind me to take my wallet? Look at all the time I’ve wasted. It just isn’t fair.”

On the other hand, if I choose to praise, I can build into my children’s lives the knowledge that our God is always good, always at work for good, no matter how things may appear.

God knows what He’s doing in allowing our mistakes. For one thing, I now have this much more time to spend with the boys in the car, giving their mother a quiet afternoon. I have the chance to help them “catch” faith through my positive response.  Psalm 50:23, Romans 8:28, 2 Cor 12:9,10 give us plenty of biblical support for responding in trust to whatever comes. I can talk with them about these verses that I’ve memorized. I can help them memorize one as we drive.

As we provide continuing examples  for our children of how to respond with praise and trust in a good God, this will build faith into them in a way that ten thousand Sunday School classes couldn’t match.

The bigger the event, the more powerful the lesson.  When they see how I respond to having an accident, to losing my job or to being treated badly by the neighbor, I am either setting them free to praise or binding them to selfishness.

God is good, all the time. Let’s live that truth before our family, giving glory to God and faith to them.