Deuteronomy 6:5-7 reads, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. The commandements I give you today must be in your hearts. Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed.
When you look at the Deuteronomy passage "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength," it doesn't leave much else. That's pretty much everything you are!
As Children's ministry leaders, volunteers and parents, we are definitely in a fight for the hearts of our children in a fallen, depraved world.
All families argue and have fights and all parents and children argue and have fights; but as we fight for our child's heart, there is a world of difference between fighting with someone and fighting for someone. When you fight with someone, you want to win. When you fight for someone, you want that person to win. When you fight with people, walls are built up. When you fight for people, walls come down. When you fight with people, relationships are jeopardized. When you fight for people, relationships are prioritized.
Sometimes it is easy to forget that you can win the argument and force the right behavior but lose the heart in the process. If you want to pass on a legacy to your children and the next generation, it has to be transferred relationally. One of the most powerful things a parent can do is learn to communicate in a way that values the heart and relationship.
As parents, we fight for the hearts of our children who we love; just as we have seen God through the generations fight for the hearts of the people He loves. We can say to our children, "You can give God your heart and soul and love Him with everything, because you can trust Him forever."
Our children's trust is affected and their confidence in us when we....
...discipline in anger
...use words that communicate rejection
...ignore their voices
...don't try to understand them and who they really are
...take things too personally
How trustworthy we are as parents is so important for the growth of our children. Your ability, strength and desire to love your children the right way starts with learning how to love God the right way (with all our heart, soul, and strength).
Again, I'm praying for each family as we partner together to fight for the hearts of the children.
Contact me anytime....I'd love to hear from you at camiller@parkchapel.org
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