I've been digesting; spiritually

Here are my thoughts on the latest chapter of Shepherding a Child’s Heart.  I read it almost two weeks ago late one evening, the application questions blew my mind and only two days ago did I get round to writing a few thoughts down in my notebook to help me digest…here they are:

 

 “Children are worshipers.  They are never neutral…they are not simply the sum total of what you put into them; they interact with their life out of faith or unbelief.”

I guess this explains why I have seen many children who grow up in a loving, caring, nurturing, encouraging and bible believing family walk away from a relationship with Jesus.  And, at the end of the day my lovely one is not the sum total of all I and her Daddy put into her.  She is an active responder to all that we teach her and her childhood experiences.  She has a heart full of “motives, desires, wants, goals, hopes and expectations”.  

This is worrying! 

I want the Lady to grow up in a loving, freeing and fulfilling relationship with Jesus and no matter how hard I try or how well I parent her there are no guarantees.  This means two things:

1. I must trust God more…because the Lady’s salvation isn’t in my hands exclusively.  Yes; I must shepherd and guide to the best of my ability, but my power is limited, only God can change hearts.
2. I must trust that trusting God for her salvation is the best way to parent!

In the application questions Tripp asks this:

“How can you design winsome and attractive ways of challenging the idolatry you may see within your child?”

‘Honestly I just don’t know!’
was my initial response at 11pm…

Here’s what I jotted down a couple of days ago:

1. Always tell the Lady how living for God is so much better and way more fulfilling and freeing.
2. Always demonstrate to the Lady how living for God is so much better and way more fulfilling and freeing. Lead by example and learn together by:
3. Being honest about our hearts and their “motives, desires, wants, goals, hopes and expectations”.
4. Being honest about my own sin and mistakes (without burdening the Lady and sharing too much that’s beyond her comprehension!)
5. Use 3 and 4 to help the Lady identify how she is investing in things that do not satisfy. And always assume we can understand, learn and grow together.
6. Pray… 
7. Pray way more than I am already
8. And then some more

I am finding this book a really challenging read.  I was brought up in a non-Christian family, deciding to follow Jesus at the age of 17.  I know what it’s like to live without Jesus at the centre, without his love, grace, freedom, forgiveness, discipline and kindness; I do not want the Lady to experience this kind of life, because really, it is no life at all.  I could worry myself to death, but just now this verse popped into my head:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
  Philippians 4:13

Phew.