Christian Parenting Challenges Week 2

Each week day we post Christian parenting challenges on social media. We want you to have a printable copy so you can remember them or use them any time you wish. Here are the challenges from this week.

Monday: Wearing a mask is a good opportunity to teach your kids about what the Bible has to say about obeying governmental authorities (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2 etc.) and loving others as we love ourselves, putting others needs before our own and more. It’s faith and love in action.

Tuesday: This wind mill has lots of moving parts. If one of them is broken, it must be fixed for the windmill to create the paper it was built to make. Christian parenting is similar. If your kids aren’t growing spiritually, some part of the process that was meant to help them grow has broken down. It could be their own heart issue or something they need from you to start moving towards God again. If you don’t take the time to analyze what’s causing the problem and fix it, your child will continue to move farther and farther away from God. Problems are usually easier to fix when they start, not after years of worsening. Don’t procrastinate!

Wednesday: Life is full of interesting things. And things that practically scream for our attention. It’s easy to get distracted from doing the Christian parenting things God wants you to be doing. Sometimes – like with an illness – it’s unavoidable. One thing I think the pandemic has taught many of us is that most of our distractions we have actively chosen to allow them to distract us. When they are removed, we often still neglect the things we need to be doing. Don’t excuse your way out of parenting your kids towards God. Be intentional. Make good choices. It’s worth it!

Thursday: When I was young, I was fascinated with Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. It was fun to see her perform recently. Of course, we didn’t have the access to all of the information about the celebrities your kids do. Which makes being a fan a bit more spiritually dangerous for kids. I could only copy Mary Poppins or Maria in the Sound of Music as I knew next to nothing about the real Julie Andrews. Your kids can copy everything about their favorite celebrity from clothes to makeup to fowl language, illicit drug use and more (depending upon the celebrity of course). Even if they choose a Christian artist or a minister, those people can still make poor choices or sin. Teach your kids it’s fine to admire people, but they should focus their efforts on being like Jesus.

Friday: Most of these adults in Holland are already drunk at 10 a.m. They may look like they are having fun, they may have even convinced themselves they are having fun. Talking with locals revealed the daily heavy drinking is actually connected to the unhappiness they feel living their lives with no meaning and no sense of purpose. Kids and teens may only see the perception and not the reality in unhealthy and sinful coping strategies. Teach them godly ways to cope when they are lonely, sad or angry. Teach them the consequences of using poor coping strategies. Help them find their place in God’s Kingdom, so they will be connected and have a sense of purpose and belonging. Actively teach and model living the lives God wants His people to live….and make sure they see Christians can obey God and have a rich, full, joyful life.

Published by

Thereasa Winnett

Thereasa Winnett is the founder of Teach One Reach One and blogger at Parenting Like Hannah. She holds a BA in education from the College of William and Mary. She has served in all areas of ministry to children and teens for more than thirty years and regularly leads workshops for ministries and churches. She has conducted numerous workshops, including sessions at Points of Light’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the National Urban Ministry Conference, Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration. Thereasa lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Greg, where she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and cooking.

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