“I can eat this entire box of Girl Scout cookies because I walked a mile today.” “I really wasn’t that mean to her.” “It’s not really a lie because…” “God would want me to disobey this command of His if He knew what was really happening.” “I’m not really drunk. I just had several glasses (I lost count) of wine with dinner.” “I wasn’t gossiping. I was just sharing a prayer request.”
When our kids are little, most of us will spend quite a bit of time teaching them to be honest. We will explain, hand out consequences and tell them what a mess they create when they lie. That is so very important. God makes it very clear He hates lies and if we are trying to raise children to be productive Christians, they must be honest.
I realized something very recently though. We spend a lot of time teaching our kids to be honest to others, but how much time do we spend teaching them to be honest to themselves? Think about it for a minute. Satan may tempt us, but whose brain takes that temptation and adds to the original lie? Whose brain tells itself lies after a sin has been committed to convince us we don’t need to repent?
Spring is a great time to have fun with your kids and teach them some of the parables of Jesus at the same time. Parables are great. They were short stories told by Jesus that helped people understand more difficult spiritual concepts by using things they encountered in their every day lives.
Imagine your child has invited a friend to your house. They volunteer to cook dinner on the stove. Before you leave the kitchen you say, “Do you remember the safety rules for the stove?” The visiting child replies, “Our family doesn’t believe in rules for the stove. We think the red burner is a symbol of joy and can’t hurt you.” “Well,” you say kindly “that’s an interesting perspective, but..” Before you can say anything else, your child interrupts, “Mom, please don’t be so intolerant. My friend is entitled to her beliefs and I think it is wonderful she feels so strongly about stoves. Don’t insult her by trying to force your beliefs about hot stoves and consequences onto her!”
Almost anyone who gives parenting advice will tell you one of the most important gifts you can give your kids is to have a great marriage. There are probably hundreds or even thousands of books on the market about marriage. Many are helpful, some are even from a godly perspective. I know many of you will want or need to read a book to help your marriage at some point, so I’m always on the lookout for great new resources.
In Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious, I shared some of the reasons why it is a critical Christian life skill to teach your kids to look beyond what they see with their eyes. Being able to do that well can make their lives fuller and richer and protect them from all sorts of Satan’s traps.