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by Jared Longshore
Sept. 3, 2017
Parenting is easy… said no one ever. Parenting is hard work, but it is the kind of work that is good, rewarding, and joyful. Solomon the Sage displayed his wisdom when he said of children, “Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them” (Psalm 127:5). With a recent addition, my wife and I now have 5 children ages 7 and under. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to apply what God says about parenting to our little ones. Here are 10 things to do with your young children in an effort to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4):
1. Tell them about the glory of God.
Tell them who God is. Tell them what He has done. Point to the swimming fish, shooting star, swaying tree, flying bird, ripening strawberry, and show them God’s hand at work. After a recent church service, we walked out of the front doors of our church building with our children to a warm setting sun that left the sky glowing pink and orange. One of the sweet godly ladies in our congregation leaned over and asked our children, “Do you hear what that sun is saying?” Calvin was right, “The whole world is a theater for the display of the divine goodness, wisdom, justice, and power.”
2. Read the Bible with them.
Don’t withhold the book that is sweeter than honey and drippings from the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). Give the kids the sugar. Read them the life-giving words of Scripture. Pray that God will give them faith and then speak the Bible to them for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).
3. Catechize them.
Find a biblically faithful catechism and work through it with your children. A good catechism will help your children think theologically. It will help them construct a worldview that will help them interpret the things going on around them and within them. We ask our 4 year old, “What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies?” She responds, “He gave them souls that will never die.” We ask, “Have you a soul as well as a body?” She answers, “Yes, I have a soul that will never die.” She is better equipped to face the forthcoming funeral because of the catechism and our conversations that spring from it. (Recommendations for a good catechism here, here, and here.)
4. Sing with them.
Sing Christ-exalting songs. Sing hymns. Sing made-up songs and pray you have the privilege of hearing them sing their own made up ones. Singing cheers the soul and instructs the mind.
5. Listen to them.
Listen to their long and confusing stories. Don’t be too busy to hear about their day, dislikes, and desires. Let them vent their little heart to you so that when they grow older they won’t be tight-lipped teenagers who won’t share with you because they remember that you didn’t have time to hear about their dreams and disappointments.
6. Confess your sin to them.
Live a life of repentance before your children. Show them that daddy and mommy need the blood of Jesus. Demonstrate what a true and humble confession looks like. I remember taking a knee to look my 5-year-old son in the eye after treating him harshly. I asked his forgiveness and he granted it immediately. I arose walking hand in hand with him, preaching this to myself: Covering your own shortcomings won’t teach him to rely on the Lord.
7. Hug, Kiss, Wrestle, and Dance with them.
Share not only the gospel with your children, but your lives as well (1 Thessalonians 2:8). With little ones, this means intentional down time. We enjoy tussling around the family room floor or dancing in the room before bed. Ride bikes, throw a ball, go to a park. And be mindful that little eyes are watching your every move. Like it or not, “do as I say not as I do” doesn’t play.
8. Discipline them.
The Bible considers discipline a matter of love. Proverbs 13:24 says, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” Do you love your children? If so, the Bible says you will give attention to their correction and training. I commend Tedd Tripp’s Shepherding a Child’s Heart to consider this topic in more detail.
9. Teach them to love the church.
Point out the many and marvelous examples of sacrificial love in your church. We recently had the church provide many meals for us after having a child. As each member dropped off food we’d ask our kids, “Can you believe that the church would be so kind to us?” We considered with them what might cause our church to love us so. Consider, also, how to encourage your kids to love the Lord’s Day. Look forward with them to the first day of the week. Memorize Psalm 122:1 together and celebrate with David, “I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
10. Pray with them.
Prayer is learned. That’s why Jesus answered when the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Let the children hear you vent your heart before God’s throne. Let them hear your faith-filled petitions for them, your church, and the world. Let them listen to a steady stream of your thanksgiving to the Father for His continual provision in the life of your family.
Press on in the tiresome and treasured work of parenting younger children, remembering, “children are a heritage from the LORD” (Psalm 127:3).
— This article originally appeared at Founders.org.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
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