How's It Going With Your Kids?
"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."
-Charles Swindoll
-Charles Swindoll
Cora, an elderly widow, lived alone in a small three-room house down the dirt road from the Pennsylvania farm where I grew up. Her home, a bit run down outside, was full of joy and delight on the inside.
Interestingly, Ms. Cora's favorite treasures were a collection of china tea cups. Some of them had been handed down for generations. Others she had added to her collection through the years. She cherished each and every one, and kept some of them in a special antique china cabinet. The rest were displayed proudly throughout her house.Psalm 127:3 says, "…children are a heritage from the Lord” (ESV). The same Hebrew word for heritage, nachalah, is also used of God's people, the Israelites, in Psalm 28:9 which says, "Oh, save your people and bless your heritage."
Strong's Concordance describes Israel as God's "special possession for whom He cared and watched over as belonging only to Him."
Your children are YOUR nachalah, YOUR heritage—a unique possession given to you by God and a treasure for you to provide for and watch over. They are "fine china" from God.
It is our job to make sure our children know they are cherished and cared for. We have a God-given mandate to nurture them, to love them, and to be there for and with them.
In today's hectic, insane world, how do we do this?
Here are six "SUPER T's" that have helped me stay close to my own children.
1. Time – Kids spell love T-I-M-E. This means quality and quantity time. There is no substitute for you.
2. Touch – This includes holding hands, brushing their hair, wrestling, giving high fives—simply providing loving touches every day.
3. Talk – You sent a message to your child today, whether you were present or not, by what you said or didn't say. And remember, communication is more non-verbal than verbal.
4. Tenderness – You instinctively know whether or not you are close to your child's heart. Learn the way he or she gives and receives love and overdose them with the tender love they need and want.
5. Teaching – You are always teaching something to your child. I love 3 John 1:4 where it says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (ESV) Most life lessons are caught and taught!
6. Tenacity – Even when they aren't very lovely, when they aren't fun to be around, when they disappoint us—even defy us. Stay the course. Never quit. Your presence, your love, your influence is everything!
Today, choose to cherish your children as your heritage from the Lord that He has entrusted to you.
