Mom Heart Moments #183

The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way.

AS OUR CHILDREN WERE GROWING UP, we encouraged them to think about how they could follow God and grow in wisdom to please Him. Over time, they began to see the God who is “our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1) as part of their own place of dwelling and their own generation. We were training them to think of God not just as an impersonal source of truth to be known or a maker of rules to be followed, but also as the living God in whom they would find real life and develop a real relationship.

As a family, we would gather to describe and discuss our goals, desires, and relationships with God. Whatever came out in those family times was wisdom borne of God’s presence among us. It was a natural part of our life together as a family with God.

The apostle Paul makes this dynamic connection with God clear: “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). As we engaged with God through His Spirit living in and through us, we were bringing His life into our home. Paul goes on to say, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (8:10). Perhaps the King James Version gets closer to the literal sense of the words: “The Spirit is life because of righteousness.” The Spirit of God who “is life” brings life to our spirits. That is the goal of lifegiving parenting —to bring God’s life to our children’s lives in our home.

Most of us use some sort of planning device to “number our days.” Have you ever considered something similar for your children? What might work best to help them begin seeing their own lives as worthy of thought and planning?