It was just one of those mornings. I had neither the drive nor the ingredients to prepare any of my usual home cooked meals. I had been putting grocery shopping off and now we were overdue for a grocery run. So popcorn, raisins and cucumber slices is what got served for breakfast. Not that I got any complaints from the children seeing as popcorn is one of our son’s favorite foods and raisins is one of our daughter’s favorite foods. How about the cucumber slices you ask? That was on the menu to cover the fruit/vegetable food group and to pacify Mummy.
I chuckled at their excitement as they blessed their meal and ate it with much enjoyment. Note to self: remember to enjoy this thing called life. You are allowed to have “popcorn, raisins and cucumber slices for breakfast” kind of days and enjoy the simple pleasures that they bring. Free up time in your day to sit and enjoy the pure, unfiltered company (really, children have absolutely no filters) of your children. I’ve heard it said that the days are long, but the years are short. With that in mind, I’m being more intentional, with God’s help, at spending time with my children. Answering their million questions while looking them in the eye and being genuinely interested in what they have to say. If my teenage niece is anything to go by, the talkative years don’t usually last long so I must purposely find the joy in them while they are here.
Children are quite curious. It is our role as parents to nurture their curiosity and feed their hunger for knowledge with truth. Always pointing them to the Word of God because His Word is truth.
John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Whenever I catch myself being irritated by the unending questions, I’m reminded by the Holy Spirit that this is them trying to learn, so teach them and teach them well. When I don’t know the answer, I say a quick prayer that goes like: Jesus, please help me and give me wisdom to answer this child with truth. Yes, there are times I don’t want to deal with it and my response is go ask Daddy. There are also times I say I don’t know, let me find out and get back to you. And I do try my best to get back, often with encyclopedia pictures and short YouTube videos with valuable information like why Ostriches have wings but can’t fly.
iStock | Mlenny
Children are indeed a gift from the Lord. I pray that we will enjoy these precious gifts with all their unwaning energy, million questions, their curiosity, honesty, love, trust and joy with which they face life. I pray that God will continually equip us with the wisdom, love, strength, joy, discernment, empathy, finances, health and humility we need to train them up in the way of righteousness, so that when they are old, they will not depart from it.
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