Teachable Tuesday- What I Want My Kids To Learn in 2019

Savannah is 16, a junior. She's a college shopping, self-employed entrepreneur, piano playing, teenager...and if I had half the gumption she has when I was her age, I'd be famous...but that's not really what's important in life, is it?

Tucker is 13, a seventh grader. He's a fortnight playing, drum beating, basketballer. He is hilariously funny and mostly kind and doesn't mind being in the spotlight...his confidence whether warranted or not is strong.

As I sit here at the dawn of a new year, knowing that time is ticking away with Savannah and before you know it Tucker will be outta here, I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to be a mom. It is not wasted on me, that some women do not have this opportunity. I'm also keenly aware that I can't jump in during their teen years and decide I want to teach them how to be "good people". And so, years ago, I asked God for wisdom...and have been doing so ever since.

So last year I worked hard on integrity issues...things like honesty and truth. These were things that were heavy on my own heart and so since I was working on them, I tried to teach my children. There was talk about things that were hurtful and dishonest and there was talk about how we should handle them. There was talk about making God's Word the ultimate, supreme truth in all things and how that would be more and more and more important as they grow up because our world is so full of lies and twisted truths (lies) and mistruths (lies). Have we mastered these things??? Absolutely not...and we won't ever have them perfected. But we made progress and I worked hard to take everyday moments that could have been passed off and instead made them into teachable moments God could use to grow them and mature them in their own walk with Him.

So this year.... Biblical Kindness. That word...KIND....it gets a bad wrap sometimes. Sometimes it looks like helping someone across the road and sometimes it looks like sharing truth in love from God's Word...even when it doesn't feel good. So, how do we teach our kids to be kind without being walked all over or without them being taken advantage or....or even look gullible or stupid? We teach them Biblical Kindness. We teach them to walk like Jesus did. We teach them that Jesus was just as kind when he tipped the tables in the temple as when we met the unfaithful woman at the well. We teach them that true kindness will never contradict God's Word. We teach them when it's worth reaching out and when it's casting your pearls before swine.  We teach them that silence, a hug, a cup of water or a moment of your time is sometimes the kindest thing you can offer. And we teach them that bullying and hate are never acceptable.

So that's what I am aiming to teach this year. How about you? What are the things that you are hoping to instill in your kids this year?

Wifi, Air-conditioning and Generosity

I John 3:16-18 - By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Currently my family is living at the hand of the generosity of others...
Literally, our housing, some of our meals, our laundry services, the care of our dog, even wifi, Air conditioning and tv... we are experiencing at the hand and wallet of someone else... and it is so humbling to be receiving at the expense and somewhat inconvenience of someone else. It feels wonderful and awkward and overwhelming and so very kind. 

This generosity is coming from people who know what it's like to be displaced. Hurricane Harvey ravished this area and most people we are getting to know have been impacted. These are people who even 9 months later are still recovering, cleaning, helping and rebuilding. These aren't people who have recovered completely. They are just making available what they have to help others. 

It's a picture perfect example of how God's Word teaches us to be generous. God was generous in His gift of salvation, various churches we're generous to Paul, the widow was generous with her mite...once we realize what we've been given spiritually, we can't help but overflow with generosity. 

Over and over we see the lessons of generosity taught in scripture. And it's not just in material things... we are to be generous in our forgiveness, in our love, in our encouraging words. We are to be overly kind and understanding and helpful.

And in contrast we are to be slow to wrath and anger and harsh words. Slow to speaking our minds. We are to rethink criticism and listen twice and much as we speak. Negative words carry a heavy weight and we need to think before we attack.

The generous person has learned to give as part of their nature. They don't sit around calculating the cost of their generosity. They give without giving it a second thought. 

I'm thankful we serve a generous God and I'm thankful for the generous people that through the years have blessed me and my family. The Biblical art of generosity is slowly fading with the rise of the "me first" attitude, But as we study God's Word and learn to be more like Him we can become more generous with our words, kind deeds, financial giving and helping those in need. ----Even if that just means sharing your wifi with the preacher's wife.