God is Real

I was reading Facebook a few weeks ago, and one of the questions on the “feed”  was “How can a parent  help a child become a Christian?”  It is a good question and one that should keep parents awake at night.  The answers were many and for the most part good ones .They  included family devotions, a commitment to a Bible teaching church, home schooling, Christian schools, youth groups and Christian camps. But there is one thing that I think far out weights any of the suggestions. In fact I think it is key and it is simple: Let them see that Christ is real.

The day a child finds out that Santa is not real nor is the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy can be a little startling. These are all stories, made to make life a little more fun. I confess I have yet to meet anyone who was truly traumatized by finding out that Mom and Dad were really the culprits. As a child I was not so interested in WHO delivered those gifts, eggs or money as I was that they WERE delivered. That was all that mattered.

But with God there is a huge difference. He IS real.  We do well to read the Bible stories to our kids. After all they are some of the very best stories in the world!  It is wonderful to have times set apart for the family to come together and pray and discuss what God has to say in the Bible. And an excellent church is a huge blessing. But they cannot show the child on a regular basis that God truly is real and involved in our lives and family. If the child is able to see that God is working and real then he will not be easily persuaded by smooth talking professors or confident friends or Hollywood.  He will KNOW because he has seen the “handiwork of God” and does not doubt His existence.   

When a child sees the parent put God before ANYTHING, he will take note. When a child hears parents talking about the work God has done or the prayer that was answered, they take notice. If church is looked upon as a joyous opportunity to worship a mighty and holy and loving God, then he will take note. When the parents refer to the Scriptures, and are committed to know and study and obey God’s Word  as their source of knowledge, understanding and wisdom,  then the child will take note.

When my daughters were young, a neighbor called me to pray for a friend that was horrifically injured in an accident and didn't expect to live. I spent that afternoon praying fervently for this lady I had never met. That evening we got the call that she had come through the surgery “miraculously” and was going to make it.  We praised God as we saw that God is real and chose to answer our prayers.

 Few years later our car was dying. We had committed to paying cash for everything except our house. It seemed like it would be impossibility, but we prayed and when our car died several months later, there was enough money in the bank to pay cash for a newer model.

But sometimes the answer is no. When our company began to flounder we prayed fervently that God would intercept and save it, but He did not and we lost everything.  But in the midst of sorrow and confusion we knew God had a plan and indeed He did. We tried to walk in faith and God responded with another job and several great blessings we would not have seen had we not first lost everything. In fact we saw God more “real” than ever before and we are grateful for the experience.  So our whole  family was able to see answered prayers, His provision and also  learn that invaluable lesson that  “no” can sometimes be a “yes” to something better. These are just a few small examples that made an impact.

Give children as much Bible knowledge as you can pump into them in the short years that they live at home. Have family devotions. Make sure you attend a Bible teaching church and a have a close group of like-minded friends. But above all, show your children that our God is not a legend, but knows us intimately, loves us dearly and is working for our great good. . 

We as parents cannot “save” our children; that is entirely the work of God. But we can show them that Christ is real as He works in our families and that His Word is true. That is an excellent step toward guiding them on the path to heaven. 

A Study of Proverbs by Linda Sweeney

 

As a child I received many “proverbs” from my grandmother.  She had some of the greatest sayings, which didn’t mean a lot to me at the time…sort of wasted on my youth, but as I matured, I realized what a wise woman she was.  The “sayings” she shared with me took on new meaning WHEN I applied them.  I often smile when I remember some of the things she taught me.  One memory I think of often with great fondness is when I was telling her some sad story about a situation I didn’t like or one where I had been hurt, was scared or wondered how I would ever “live through it!”  I had so many dramas in my life, especially as a teenager, that I don’t remember the exact “tragedy” I was relaying, but I do remember her saying “If all of our troubles were hung on a line (clothes line for laundry), you’d take yours and I’d take mine.”  That was her way of telling me that everyone has troubles and that there’s always someone with a harder situation than mine.  I’ve come to realize that this is definitely true!

As an adult, I’ve learned to read God’s Proverbs knowing that there is great wisdom there.  This is wisdom for a life of skillful living!  The book of Proverbs in the Bible was mostly composed by the wisest man to ever live, King Solomon.  God gave him great wisdom because he asked for it instead of all the other choices he could have made.  People came from great distances to hear his wisdom.  Most scholars believe these were written during his middle age years.  This book is really God’s “How to” advice for His children so that we will live a better life and be blessed.  Some of the writings are pretty funny and some show us the comparison between the wise person and the fool by the choices they make.

I would like to challenge you to read one chapter in Proverbs each day for 31 days (there are exactly 31 chapters in this book) and at the end of each chapter jot down one principle of wisdom that God has shown you.  Keeping these in a journal would be a great way to record what God wants you to know.  Be sure you ask The Holy Spirit to guide your thinking and show you what the spiritual meaning is.  It’s easy sometimes to interpret a proverb we hear with worldly wisdom.  For instance, “If the shoe fits, wear it” does not mean I can buy all the shoes I try on that fit!  Sometimes I wish it did!   Why not start by asking God to help you interpret His Proverbs for your particular situation and show you how you can be wise in the role where God has placed you:  Wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and/or co-worker.  Here’s a great one to start with if you are desiring to be an amazing woman:  Proverbs 3:5-6 says:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”   Wisdom, or skill for living, comes from God and begins with the fear and knowledge of Him (see Proverbs 9:10).

There are many components of wisdom described in the book of Proverbs, many of which are outlined in the first chapter. Describe all of the aspect of wisdom in each of the following verses:

Proverbs 1:2:

Proverbs 1:3:

Proverbs 1:4:

Proverbs 1:5:

Proverbs 1:6:

Proverbs 1:7: