I wrote this post about four years ago when my children were 8 and 10. Such precious conversations about faith and Jesus. And it all happened in the car…
Did you know you can have some of the most meaningful conversations in the car? This morning proved to be one of those times. Usually our 10-minute drive to school consists of listening to 104.7 The Fish, answering pop culture trivia questions, singing, prayer, sometimes fighting, and then there are times like today where we talked about God.
I’m not even sure how it all started. Somehow we got on the topic of God, heaven, and hell. That led to a discussion of how every day is a battle against evil and we must put on our armor of God as Ephesians 6:11-18 says:
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Then we discussed how important it is to share Jesus with everyone we can. Why? Because we know that everyone who believes in Jesus and how He died for us and forgives us, will go to heaven. God’s desire is for all of His children to know Him and love Him so God uses us to be His messengers and share His love with all people.
At that moment, my 8-year old daughter wells up with tears in her eyes. She says to me, “Mom, I have tried to share Jesus with (boy at her school who says he doesn’t believe in God), but he keeps telling me he doesn’t believe.” I looked in my rear-view mirror into those teary eyes and told her she is doing exactly what God wants her to do. She is sharing Jesus and is planting a seed into this boy’s heart. We can’t change people, only God can. But, God is using her to help change this boy, even if she can’t see changes in him.
I was blown away by her courage, her honesty, her obedience to God, her desire to share Jesus, and her compassion for this little boy. I was completely humbled by her sharing this and realized that I could learn something from her.
My youngest daughter, I have seen, is getting pretty bold in her faith. Not only has she shared Jesus with this boy who doesn’t believe, but she has flat out asked another girl at school if she believes in God. She wasn’t sure if she did or not, so she said she just went up to her and asked. She was happy when the little girl said that she did.
Then our conversation turned to obedience. I told them it was so important that we obey ALL God asks us to do. From sharing our toys to being kind to another person (especially those who hurt us) to telling others about Jesus. My 10-year old daughter said that yes, it was hard to do things when we didn’t want to do them, but if God asks us then we have to obey. She’s a pretty smart girl.
My youngest daughter looked at me in the mirror and said, “I wish I could actually hear God’s voice.” I told her I wished that, too, especially in circumstances where I am not sure what I should do. However, I told her we can hear God speaking to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. All those little nudgings we feel when we know we should do something, well, that’s the Holy Spirit. And when we feel those nudgings, then we need to obey. She then looked at me and said, “Well, I have heard God speak to my heart before.” I asked what God said to her. She said, “God said, ‘Hi.'” So sweet. Yes, God definitely says hello to us every day.
I dropped them off at school and immediately began crying in the car. Those 10 minutes in the car this morning were so precious to me. How blessed am I that I get to share Jesus and His love for us with my children? I will treasure that moment and all the other many moments that God blesses me with.
Parents, you are THE most important influence in the spiritual life of your kids. You spend the most hours with them. The church gets 1-2 hours a week to tell your kids about God and His love for them. You get the majority of the time with your kids.
What are you doing to lead your kids in their daily walk with the Lord? Are you leading by example? Are you worshiping God? Are you spending time in God’s Word? Are you praying for AND with your children?
I am not perfect by any means and I struggle daily in making sure I am a good example for my children. It’s so very hard. God reminded me this morning to use my time wisely. Don’t be so caught up in the busyness of life that we miss out on those small windows of opportunities to talk about Jesus and our faith in Him with our children.
Turn off the tv. Have dinner at the table. Talk in the car. Go outside. Pray with them at bedtime. Don’t miss opportunities to be Jesus to your kids. God has blessed us with precious gifts, so let’s make the most of our time with them, especially while they are young.
What is one way God is calling you to share Jesus with your children?