What Kids Need To Hear
By Jason Glaze
I am not a fan of disclaimers but I’m about to write a blog post where the focus is parenting so I’m going to throw out two disclaimers.
First of all, I am not an expert in parenting. I’m honestly figuring it out as I go.
Second, I know while you are reading this post there will be a “yeah but” come to mind. Just hang in there and give what I’m saying some thought.
I often find myself in a conversation with someone who is having problems connecting with their children. The reasons vary but it’s usually because there is some rebellion going on. As we begin to talk about a solution, this statement usually comes from the frustrated parent at some point, “I’ve been trying to show my child that I love God and trust that everything else falls into place.”
While this idea sounds noble it really doesn’t do much for the relationship between the parent and child. Here is my response to that statement. “Your children need to know that you love them more than they need to know that you love God.” It never fails, when I say this to a parent I first get a deer in the headlight look for a minute. Then the truth settles in and begins to pierce the parent’s heart. There is no doubt that our relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives and everything we do is a byproduct of it. However our love for God does not automatically communicate our love to our children. They need to hear it. They need to connect with us. It’s easy to hide behind our relationship with God and not give our kids our hearts.
Now, I’m not saying that we need to leave or lessen our love for God in order to connect with our kids. As a matter of fact the more we love God, or better yet, the more we know God loves us, the easier it will be to put our hearts on the table with our kids. Here is what I am saying. What matters is what our kids hear from us, and again, they need to know we love them more than they need to know we love God.
Finally, here is the best part. The more they know we love them the more they are going to know that God loves them. Let’s face it, if we are having problems with our kids and we ignore them by hiding behind our love for God, it’s not going to paint a good picture of God in their minds. However, if they know we love God as we pour out our love on them their love for us and God will begin to grow and flourish.
Peace,
Jason Glaze
So true Jason! Great blog. I dont think parents can ever show too much love to their children.
This is so insightful! IMHO not only should we practice this with our children but also the world. How are ppl supposed to know that God loves them if His ppl don’t love them first.
In fact, the more I read and meditate on this the more I realize how this needs to be taken to everyone we meet. How many times have I turned from someone because I didn’t think they weren’t ‘God-like’ for my clean Christian living? More times than I would like to admit. No wonder ppl have such a judgemental view of God.
Great point Cindy. You are absolutely right. How much more peaceful would things be if we communicated love to people.