{A little note if you are new here...I am joining up with The Nester for a 31 Day blogging series.
To start back at the beginning or find previous days, click here}
(Disclaimer for this series: I want to start off by making the promise that although I will use language like "mom, toddler, home, young, etc...I don't want anyone to feel like this isn't applicable to them at any stage in life. Maybe you are a dad or an aunt or an older sibling with the hard reality of taking care of your youngers. Maybe you have a newborn babe and just can't seem to get through the days without crying. Maybe your kids have all left the house. Maybe you go to work all day and come home and feel like you should relish in all the good things, but find yourself getting just as frustrated with your kids as if you had been home with them all day long. This is for you, too. I only use the language I do because of the personal situation I am in. I am a stay at home mom with a toddler and a new baby on the way. If you would, please don't get hung up on that language. Some days may be harder to apply than others, but there is truth in God's promises that can meet each of you where you are. Thanks. Enjoy, xo.)
Another very simple way that we can hear God above our growling toddler is to be purposeful about speaking scripture into and over them. Very practically.
1. Read them stories out of their children's bible.
If you don't have a good one, I highly highly recommend the Children's Storybook Bible. It's a favorite at our house! Ellis loves his big, colorful pages and we try to read at least one story a day...even if it's while he's running around chasing the puppy. I've found sometimes it does more for me than him in the moment.
2. Pray with them.
We aren't dinner-prayers. At least not on the daily. Meals are a mess around here. Sometime we eat together, sometimes Ellis eats lunch off of a plate on the floor, and most often we are not at the dinner table. I hope this can change as our family grows and kids are older...but for now its just what works. But we do try and make a habit of praying with Ellis before bed each night. When we do, he smiles and watches us and just waits till he gets to whisper "amen" at the end. He may not get it completely, but it's become something he looks forward to each night and we love that.
3. Teach them with scripture-language.
Try and think about the things you say a lot and the implications they have. Sometimes changing just a few words can shape a whole new meaning out of the little things. This doesn't have to be cheesy or over the top, but here are a few phrases that work for us...
"we are kind to others" (Ephesians 4:32) ...instead of "that's not nice."
"you need to be patient" (1 Corinthians 13:4) ...instead of "wait!"
"you need to obey mama and make a good choice" (Ephesians 6:1-4) ...instead of "what did I say?"
I truly believe that it's the little things like this that help shape our moods and attitudes throughout the day. Teaching my son how to live and bringing him up with biblical wisdom keeps biblical wisdom fresh on my mind as well. I find that when I do the little things, the big picture falls together easier. Could any of these suggestions help you?
I hope so...be encouraged...you aren't alone.
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About a month ago, I wrote about one practical way that we have been trying to keep God's word on our hearts and lips throughout the day. And through the need for child-appropriate scripture, I created a set of Alphabet scripture cards. Since then, I've been working on another new project that I released at the Influence Conference this past week. Hopefully it will be the first of many.
Introducing:
The first of which is the story of Noah. These custom-designed cards tell the well-known bible story in very simple language for children. Each card is like a page in a book and has a corresponding scripture reference for when your son/daughter is older and wants to look up the whole story. These cards can be used for simple story telling/playing or can be hung up on the wall in your child's room as meaningful art. From a young age, this is just another way that I think we can speak scripture into our children, just by simply hanging artwork in their rooms!!
This story set is 8 cards + 1 cover card and comes with baker's twine and mini clothes pins so they are ready to hang if you are going to be using them as art. I've also had some people say they've frame them in individual 4x6 frames and displayed them that way as well!
You can find these and my Alphabet Scripture Card sets in the Beautifully Esoteric Shop.
And for the next few days, everything in stock in my shop is 10% off with code: INFSALETEN
Those cards are great! I like how you added a reference to each one so that they can be connected with the actual Bible in the hands of the kids later on.
ReplyDeleteAnd your hint to speak in Bible verses to your children is sooo perfect! They need to see that we are one whole person led by God and eager to follow Him. What better way than to parent them with words they will come to KNOW are right from His word?