Ways to show them Him...
By Emily Kaler
I received Emily's email and could not wait to devour it. She was my Bible study leader when living in Springdale as a semi-newleywed. She is a woman of great wisdom with SUCH a dear heart. I love that she too thought of the verse Deuteronomy 6:5-9 as a banner over her role as a mother.
Here is what she wrote...
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
I take this verse very literally and we talk about God constantly. No interaction, problem, circumstance goes by without making some sort of spiritual connection. I have found you don't have to invent spiritual lessons. You don't actually have to be super intentional to "create" opportunities (fancy lesson plans, etc) I have found that life is the opportunity and our job as moms is to capitalize on the teaching moments!
**MUSIC. Great way to teach scripture memory. "20 verses every child should know" is a great tool that my 4ry, 7 yr and 10yr all enjoy. CD's in the car. Talk about what the music is saying. Remind them of what they are singing when the problem faces them in real life.
**Breakfast/dinner table...GREAT place to work on verses. During homework time or mealtimes, just playfully quiz the kids on verses they have had at church or vbs or whatever. Make it fun. My kids feel good about themselves when they've memorized.
**HI-LO. This is a favorite in our house. Always played at every dinner. Everyone goes around and says their High for the day and then their LOW. Great opportunity for discussion and to get into their heads and great for me b/c it requires no preparation :)
***Instead of making your kids say "I'm sorry" to their sibling or whoever, train them to say "will you forgive me." Great opprotunity for all involved on forgiveness for both parties.
***Total practical tip. If getting everyone ready in the morning is hard, make them get totally ready (dressed, shoes, hair, etc) BEFORE they eat breakfast. I used to do breakfast first, then everything else and it seemed I was yelling to get everyone out the door for school. Once i swtiched to get dressed, then breakfast, they were SO fast because they are hungry!!! :)
***Blessings. I read a great book about giving spiritual blessings. I picked out a verse or small passage for each of my kids and I say it over them after we've tucked in. A bit of memorization on my part, but they LOVE IT AND REMIND ME IF I FORGET! I really hope it is something that is and will continue to be meaningful to them over their life. A bit of intention on my part in the beginning, but once you get it down, it is easy to keep up.
***My book recommendation list:
GRACED BASED PARENTING
TENDER MERCIES FOR A MOTHERS SOUL
PARENTING WITH LOVE AND LOGIC
I HIGHLY recommend DATE nights with your hubby. Weekend getaways when you can with your hubby. occasional girls nights. Mothers Day Out if you can. Part of being a good/intentional mom is taking care of yourself! I TRIED TO BE SUPERMOM AND I FIGURED OUT IT IS TOTALLY OVER RATED! BE INTENTIONAL!!! BUT DON'T MISTAKE GOOD INTENTIONS FOR BEING PERFECT OR "RIGHT" OR BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!!! I PROMISE GOD WILL SHOW YOU YOUR SHORT COMINGS!!! :) TAKE IT FROM ME! I'VE SEEN MY OWN....
