Like any parent, I can remember the moment I knew my life would never be the same. I stared at the tiny bundle in my arms and I wanted to give her the world.
Fourteen years later that hasn’t changed. I want to give my two daughters all that I can and all that they want (within reason). And if we’re all honest, we probably have given our kids a lot of stuff they could live without just because we love them and we want to make them happy. It’s called spoiling. We all do it and we all pay the price for it in some way.
But once they’ve out-grown or become bored with the sneakers, Ipods, phones, laptops and clothes, I ask myself what will I have given them? When the piano lessons, dance classes and basketball games are over, what will they have inside to face life’s difficulties? When they reach a crossroads in life, what will I have given them ?
As a Christian I know in my heart the most important gift I want to give them is a heart for God. I want them to love and know God personally. At the end of the day, nothing else truly matters.
We have such a responsibility to prepare them for what they will face in the world. You may have heard the saying that children are like homework from God.
6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 KJV)
The Scripture above says it all. Applying this Scripture may seem like a challenge in the context of our busy lives, but we must find a way. We can’t afford not to. My parents held a family Bible study with us when I was growing up. We didn’t appreciate it at the time. Now that I’m a parent, I understand completely why they prayed with us and for us.
My husband and I are committing to doing the same. We haven’t reached the level of consistency we want, but we are trying. Family devotions and Bible study are worth the time, even if it’s just 15 or 20 minutes a day or week. It’s a time to teach your children that they can tap into the power of God to live victoriously. It’s a way of strengthening the family bond and encouraging your child to nurture his or her personal relationship with God. It’s a chance to establish a spiritual foundation that will last.
So when we talk about giving to our children, let’s not forget this most important gift. It’s one we can give as often as we like.
Vanessa W. Snyder is a writer, National Board-certified teacher and mother of two daughters in Washington, D.C. The author of a new novel, “The Second First Lady,” and co-author of titles in the “50 Ways to Christ” series, she can be reached at vanessa@blackdoorventures.com.
