Parenting is hard work. I have six kids, so I should know. However, parenting can be one of the most rewarding endeavors in which we engage. What makes the difference is whether or not we seize the moment and invest.
Deuteronomy 6:5–9 has a few words to say about investing in your kids.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Here are five ways you can begin investing in your children today that will have huge payoffs later:
1. Tell stories to your kids. Telling stories gives you time to snuggle, opportunities to discuss and a family narrative to have in common.
2. Schedule family time at home. Try turning off all electronics and sharing a meal together. Play games together.
3. Go out together. This doesn’t have to be expensive. Get creative. Go on a walk or visit a local park, zoo, beach or forest. Enjoy your own neighborhood.
4. Establish a bedtime routine. Establishing a bedtime routine allows you to speak the last word into your kids’ lives before they go to sleep. Your voice gets to trump the world’s voices.
5. Have morning devotions. Let God have the first word of the day. Set the tone of the day by sitting down as a family and hearing God’s word together.
George King is the pastor of the Foundry in Escondido, California.
SCRIPTURE:
Deuteronomy 6:5–9
Visit fmchr.ch/gkingways to read the blog post from which this article was adapted.
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