Everything Starts from Home
In the last few years, especially in times of pandemic, children have drawn closer to the virtual worlds and all kinds of the interactions inside it. Parents have started asking and commenting,
“What if they are affected by the bad things on the internet?”
“Oh no! My kids’ games have sex scenes!”
“My kid has made friends with strangers and discussed things that I didn’t even understand for so long time.”
“Is it possible to stop my kids from playing games and downloading apps on their gadgets, other than for school?”
Are you familiar with those sentences? Or maybe, you even said it yourself?
The next question that arises is can we as parents and kids’ ministers watch, watch over them closely 24/7 to ensure that they don’t fall into the evil trap? The answer is of course, not.
As humans, we are limited and our limitations disable us from watching our children’s lives all the time. There will be time for our kids to face the world and its challenges alone. The foundation of their heart will determine their stance, whether they will stand strong or falter and fall apart.
In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus clearly states that the only thing that can sustain us in facing the storms of life is the word of God. This applies to children as well. And to build a strong foundation for their lives, parents and kids’ ministers need to play their roles well. They need to work hand in hand to sow the seed and to ensure these kids have a strong foundation of truth.
Therefore, what can we do?
- Give your precious time for them
Do you know why kids are attracted to the virtual world? Simply because that world is always available for them. Whenever they are logged in, they will always find “someone” who is willing to spend time with them to chat, play, and do other things that they might not do with people in real life. This is the sad reality we are in.
Parents and kids’ ministers, how much time have you spent with these kids? If you want to build a strong foundation in their lives, make time – not spare time – to talk and build relationships with them. Each of us has 24 hours a day yet our priorities will make our time worth differently. What is your current priority?
Your time is indeed precious. Kids are also precious in God’s eyes. Therefore let’s give our precious time to look after God’s precious treasure, to make sure that they will be able to stand strong despite the world that is trying to pull them away from the truth.
- Sow and resow
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NLT)
‘Never enough’ is a reality in teaching and imparting truth to our children. They need to hear the truth over and over again. They need to be constantly reminded, listened to and be told the truth. This is a lifelong process, as long as we’re trusted by God to teach and care for them. We can never know when this opportunity is taken from us, so let us continue to sow the truth while we can.
However, before we teach them the truth, let’s make sure that we understand and live in the truth. Remember that your actions speak louder than words. Don’t ever do the worst thing, we repeat the word of God, but act in the opposite.
Is this an easy task? Obviously not. We need the Holy Spirit to help us at all times. We need His wisdom in our daily lives, and His reminder when we make mistakes. Walk with Him and He will enable us to do the best.
To help parents and kids’ ministers, IFGF Kids have provided a which can be used as a tool to sow the truth in children’s lives. The devotion is available in 2 languages, Indonesian and English. It consists of 1 verse to be discussed together, complete with meditation for parents and kids, as well as activity ideas that can be done by all family members based on daily verse.
So let’s prepare your best time to make a commitment with your family to do this daily devotion. We believe that more than sowing good seeds for your children, you will also experience growth in your faith. Isn’t this our dream? Let’s start our commitment today.
Source: Ps. Ancella Gunawan (Global Kids Coordinator)
Next: WALK WITH ONE
