As life slowly returns to “normal” have you thought about the things you learned from the COVID experience? What changes do you meed to make to help your children build stronger faith foundations and grow to their godly potential? Here are some social media challenges to consider, too.
Monday: These birds swooped down immediately to eat an animal hit by a car. There are people who are waiting to devour your kids. They want to mislead or hurt them in some way…including spiritually. You don’t want your kids walking around frightened all of the time, but you need to teach them how to protect themselves spiritually just like you have probably taught them how to protect themselves physically.
Tuesday: What your kids are exposed to during the day can impact their moods, thoughts, emotions and beliefs. As much as possible make your home a Philippians 4:8 home or as my grandmother used to say “Nothing sad, nothing bad”. Don’t think it makes a difference? Go on a family fast from depressing and violent content for a month. Fill the time with positive, beautiful, praiseworthy things instead. What happens to moods, attitudes and behaviors? (Prepare for negative withdrawal symptoms if they are hooked on negative content. After they’ve detoxed you should see positive changes.)
Wednesday: I have no idea who this person was or the legacy he left. Christianity, Christian parenting are in great part about legacy. Who will end up in Heaven because of the choices you make today? Tomorrow? Next year? Use your life intentionally. Christian parent intentionally. The people in your legacy desperately need you to point them to God.
Thursday: There aren’t periodic tests to take to make sure your Christian parenting is on track. It’s important though that you regularly self assess how things are going. Are your kids moving towards God or away from Him? Are their hearts showing signs of softness or are they hardening? Is their Bible knowledge increasing? Are they more consistently making godly choices? Catching issues early makes it easier to change things. Regular self assessment will enable you to catch issues early.
Friday: Each of your children is different – even if they are identical twins. It’s important to give each what he or she needs to become who God created them to be. This won’t always be the same, but your kids should never believe you favor one over the other. It damages your relationship with them and their sibling relationships.