Verse of the Day - 2 Timothy 1:5

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
~ 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

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Whatever parents are into, that's usually what they teach their kids. If they love golf, they'll probably get their kids out on the golf course at least a little, to see if they can steer them into their passion. If they have a faith base, they will most likely take their kids to their place of worship and encourage them through knowledge of their faith. And even if parents take the "hands off" approach and don't push their likes and beliefs on their kids, kids often pick up on them anyway, from exposure and human nature. Kids usually want to be like their parents...they look up to them and naturally gravitate to what and how parents think and act.

What is important to parents is what they pass on to their kids, right?

I never got the 'bug' for basketball. Why? Probably because my dad didn't watch basketball. When March Madness (College basketball championships) rolls around, I really have no desire to watch it (yes, I realize that this drives a knife into some of your hearts...:-). But baseball? Now that's another story! I love watching baseball! Why? Because my dad loved baseball. My grandma loved baseball! See the trickle effect? We spent alot of time together as a family at Candlestick Park watching our beloved Giants play in the '60s and '70s! And I love it to this day. It's how I was raised, and I adopted the love of the game that my family had for the game.

And how much more important is our kids' souls than sports? For followers of Jesus Christ, we believe every person has to make a choice for Jesus. So, they have to hear about Him in order to make that choice. We read to them from the Bible, and we take them to Sunday School. More importantly, hopefully we are living out an authentic, vibrant relationship with God that gives validity to the words they're taught. How you live makes a huge impact on kids! We've all heard stories about parents who looked good on Sundays but were a mess at home...and the kids took it all in. You later hear stories of those kids who don't trust their parents or their parent's God, because it was just a farce...God didn't really make a difference in their home when they were growing up. They may wonder if He is even real. Cynicism and disillusionment follow them, instead of true faith and joy in the Living God.

I may not be a superstar or do anything really great in the eyes of the world. But I have tried to live my walk with God before my children -- they know He is real in my life. The choice for God is theirs to make, but I have given them knowledge and shown them testimony. That is the high calling God has given me as a parent, and I trust I have served Him well in that calling.

Adults -- we have a huge responsibility to be for kids what we desire them to be...and more importantly, what God desires them to be. What weight are you placing on the horizontal things of this world? Is school, sports and fun the "main event" in their lives? Is God seen and modeled by you as #1? I hope so, because without Him, nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will save.

If you have influence over children, what are you modeling for them? Choose wisely how you live, because they're sponges, and they'll soak up whatever you put in front of them -- good, bad or otherwise.

Love,
Joelene