Teachable moments

Oh how I love it when my kids ‘help’ me in the kitchen. If you have small children…or ever did…you know how helpful they really are. Dumping ingredients, cracking eggs, stirring…these are clearly learned skills. Haha! Don’t even get me started on electrical appliances and children. Lol! Yesterday I spoke of ‘wishing’. And, if I am just being honest, there are times when the kids want to ‘help’…that I really would wish they wouldn’t. It is easier to just do it on my own. Ya know? Don’t judge me. Lol!

But then I see the face of this little girl below. My Ariel. We were making cookies because her brother got to go with Dad…and she was sad. I got us matching aprons…and look at her smile. And pose! I call that ‘The Sydney’ because it is a trademark pose of her cousin…you guessed it…Sydney. =)


Teachable moments. Isn’t that what our time with our children is all about? Moments that make a difference in their lives. I love to hear the prayers of my children…so why do I sometimes get too rushed to listen? I love to see God heal them…so why do I sometimes get frustrated when they interrupt my prayer to ask for prayer. I love to hear them explain how life is through their eyes…so why do I sometimes not really listen.

Prayer. That is what changes lives. The more I pray for my kids. With my kids. In front of my kids. The more they understand how powerful it is. The more natural it will become to them. The more they will see the hand of God in their own lives. The more they will share God’s goodness, provision, healing, and love to the people that surround them.

What example do you set? If you can relate to how I can be at times with my small children…know you aren’t alone. I don’t pretend to be perfect. I would fall short if I did. I don’t pretend to have it all together…because that isn’t the truth. I fail. I struggle. I get angry. I apologize. I regret. I have grace. And I must extend grace to others.

These little sponges that God has given us…they are always watching. (My oldest son…is literally watching me type this right now. =) He just asked why I typed my favorite three dots. Haha! I told him that is where I would pause if I was reading this out loud. I have been told I was a comma queen…so I switched it to …) Can you admit when you reacted wrongly towards your children? Can you ask for their forgiveness?

Let’s lead by example. Let’s pray with them every time they ask…no matter how busy we are. Let’s listen to them as intently as we expect them to listen to us. Let’s use these days of their impressionable youth to better them. Let’s be involved. Let’s teach them how to accept love. Let’s teach them how to give love. Let’s be real with them. Let’s show them what a relationship with our Father looks like.

Raising Godly children takes a lot of work. Raising Godly children takes a lot of patience. Raising Godly children requires a lot of prayer. And raising Godly children yields the ultimate reward. Eternity. Find people in your world that will bathe you and your children in prayer. Commit to do the same for them. Love and be loved.