What do your kids love about Christmas? Mine love decorating the Christmas tree (my husband’s least favorite part), making, icing, and eating Christmas cookies, and spending time with their cousins… Christmas is fun and full of exciting activities, but with so much to look forward to, if we are not careful, it can become easy to loose sight of the main reason for Christmas.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… a time we can bring God so much glory by enjoying the love story between Him and us. A story we want to share with our kids over and over every Christmas because it’s the greatest love story ever told- that the God of the universe would want to come down from Heaven and be with us!
Working in preschool ministry, I get an interesting perspective of Santa at Christmas time. Leading worship, it is my goal to encourage the preschoolers to get more excited about Jesus than anything else in their life. When I ask the preschoolers what they are excited about at Christmas time, this is what I often hear…
Every year as Christmas creeps closer and closer, I am filled with anticipation for the joy of the season, but also anxiety sets in as I wonder if I will be able to get everything done in time. From preparing kids for Christmas plays, to hosting and attending parties, to determining the perfect gifts for each family member… it’s a crazy time of year!
One of my favorite things about Christmas is the spirit of love and generosity that embraces our hearts this time of year…We tend to look for ways to bless others by serving together as a family, and by doing so we are blessings Jesus in the process. Serving others with our kids not only demonstrates the heart of God and shares His love with His people in the process, but it is a great way to develop meaningful family traditions and foster a strong family identity.
We have already looked at how to give our kids good soil, help them hear and understand God’s Word, and persevere under trials, but we have not yet looked at teaching our kids to have a noble and good heart.
For our children to receive God’s Word (the seed) and produce a crop, they need a noble and good heart.
One of the parenting books I have loved and recommend on my website is Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes. The book is written by Kristen Welch, blogger at wearethatfamily.com, and I had the privilege to interview her about her thoughts on entitlement and more about her book and ministry.
Kristen, tell us a little about yourself, your family, your blog, and your ministry.
This month we are discussing the seed that fell among the thorns and was choked. We will discuss what Jesus says these thorns represent and how to prevent them from choking our kids spiritually. This month we are discussing the seed that fell among the thorns and was choked. We will discuss what Jesus says these thorns represent and how to prevent them from choking our kids spiritually.
This month we are discussing the seed that fell among the thorns and was choked. So, what are these thorns that could choke our kids spiritually? In the second description of the thorn, Jesus talks about riches and pleasures making people unfruitful. These thorns are choking our kids’ spiritual life and preventing them from maturing in their faith.
“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Matthew 13:20-21 (NIV)
This week we will discuss ways to prevent the scorching heat from withering our children.
