Can someone give me guidance?

Rebekah - posted on 03/21/2012

What better time than to use the struggles they have been through and the challenges they are still facing than with a God, a Father, that loves them immensely and has collected their tears in a bottle so not even one is wasted! He knows and He understands everything you have faced and they have seen - introduce them to the One that can heal their hearts and turn their tears into a harvest of joy!



If you dig deeper and cry out to God, He will answer you. You will discover a love so deep, so indescribable, it will change you from the moment you encounter it! Taste and see that Lord is good!

Lori - posted on 03/21/2012

I was raised without religion and found Christ in my 20's. I had some hard moments in my childhood and it was very lonely and hard to pick myself back up. It has led me to this belief, their is no greater gift you can give your child then that of faith, understanding that you are part of something bigger then yourself, and that we are all connected by God. You don't have to have all the answers, I have 3 kids, 10, 8 and 3, and we have fun finding the answers together. Their are many bibles that are age appropriate for kids during their different stages of life, some read like story books others are more for older kids. But going through the different books of the bible has been good for all of us. MOPS has a great bible that helps you get a really good perspective on parenting with the bible, and they probably have a chapter in your area. You can also reach out to your local church youth group or local Awana's club (a Christian kids club much like boy scouts or girl scouts but with Christian based activities) because showing your child God's work is much better then telling them about it, at least that is what works for us. Best Wishes!

Jenny_D - posted on 03/20/2012

If you don't know what you believe, then how can you teach your children about beliefs/faith, etc? I would encourage you to do some soul searching and get some clarity for yourself so you don't have to "struggle" with your own beliefs first, and then share that joy with your children:)

Victoria - posted on 03/20/2012

Religion, I don't much like that word to be honest, it makes me think of all the people who profess one thing & live another, "do what I say, not what I do type of people".



For me, I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, through faith in him & I have received salvation through that same faith, by the grace of God paid for through the finished works of Christ at the cross. Therefore this is what I teach my kids, scripture says to "Train up a child in the way they should go & when they are old they will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.



Our kids learn from what we tell them, what they are taught in Church & the Christian school they attend, but that is just part of it, we need to train them & teach them by our living example. Living that relationship we Christ daily, being lead by the Holy Spirit, coming to know the LORD more through reading & receiving the scriptures as well as fellowship with other believer & spiritual training found through our attending Church services.



All these things are important aspects of training our children.

However first off, you have to make your own stand, you can't train your child if you are not solid in what you believe.



You're in my prayers sweetheart.

Pastor Victoria MacPherson.

Louise - posted on 03/20/2012

I think if you are not strong in any faith then just teach what you believe in. I am not religious but I have taught my daughter the story of Christmas and Easter and some bible stories because that is our origins. What she chooses to do when she is older is up to her. I raised my sons the same why. I think you can teach as much as you feel comfortable in. At playgroups these days all faiths are taught and celebrated.

Carla - posted on 03/20/2012

Deuteronomy 11:19-20 talks about teaching your children when you're sitting in your house and when you are walking down the road and the last thing at night before you go to sleep, write them on your walls, that your days may be multiplied and the days of your children also.



You know, people beat themselves up because their faith isn't to the place where they think it should be. Faith comes by hearing, so it stands to reason that the longer you live, and the more you hear the Word and hear others telling of their experiences, the more faith you will have.



Have you ever been kinda down, but you run into someone who's REALLY got problems, so you turn immediately into encouraging mode, and you BOTH walk away feeling better? There's something uplifting about sharing your faith--and this will also happen when you talk to your children about the Bible stories of Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, King David, Paul, and the list goes on and on. Why do you think God put all these stories in the Bible? Wouldn't you think He would fill it with lots of do's and don't's and this will happen if you don't mind? But God is loving and gave us all these stories to lift and encourage us. Yes, these people went through hard times, but they DID overcome! I love Hebrews 11 where Paul is talking about all the ancestors and how they went through hard times and came out better. This chapter excites my heart and soul.



Telling your children about Jesus, about His love for us, about all the people who came before us who overcame serious, serious afflictions will actually help YOUR faith! No one expects you to be perfect (except maybe you)--this is a long race, and sometimes we are strong and sometimes not so much. But God looks at our hearts, and waits patiently until the end of our race--did we fall down? Oh yes! Did we get back up and start walking again? THAT is what He is looking for. And each and every time we get back up, we get up stronger.



I hope this makes sense to you, honey. God bless, you'll get through this.

Heather - posted on 03/20/2012

Hi Linda,

I believe we, as parents, were given the gift of raising our children. They were not put into someone else's family to raise -- we are stewards of these gifts. So we get to raise them -- not someone else! :)



The Bible says, in Proverbs, "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." (22:6)



Even if you still struggle with your own beliefs, you can give your children the gift of stability by knowing that there IS a God and He DOES care about them. For now you don't have to go further than that.



Why not read the Bible to them, a little bit every day? Maybe start with the Psalms, because there's lots of comfort there. :) If they have "gone through so much," as you say, they can receive the comfort that is there from God -- like Psalm 108, "For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies."



Children crave order; whatever else the Bible teaches, it does teach that there is an order in the world, created by God. This can be very comforting, to you and to them. Why not start there and see where it leads?



Blessings to you and your beautiful kids. :)

Hugs from me & God. :)

-Heather

Terri - posted on 03/19/2012

Praise Him: Yes this is good question….I Think that you should teach Religion to your Children and after that let them pick&Chose if they want to follow or not…its like you offer your child say a ummm Hobby That the family may enjoy that was passed down by past Generations…you can allow your child to pick or Chose if thats something they want to carry on to there family or not….but i would teach it