Children, Obedience and The Lord

I love my children. And I love when my children shine with the love and joy of Jesus.

They don't always. They have their moments of disobedience and of discord with one another. I was reading on someone's blog about how when your child is disobedient, the answer is not ___fill in the blank___, but the answer is Jesus.

I must admit that this really struck me. I mean, I have read most every book I can get my hands on concerning child rearing. To spank or not to spank, time outs, tomato staking, etc. But what that mother said is true.

If your child has a relationship with Jesus, there will not be a problem with disobedience. 1 Samuel 3 talks about how the Lord called Samuel and he was obedient. I was listening to an S.M. Davis CD called "What to Expect From A Twelve Year Old" and he mentioned that Samuel was only three at this time. WOW! I wonder how old Miriam was when she looked after her little baby brother (Moses)? Just thinking about little girls in the Bible - they aren't mentioned very often because they weren't considered important to society. For them to mention any girl or women meant something important.

The point is, those children who knew and loved God from an early age were very mature and responsible (compared to the children of today). You don't read words like "terrible two's" or "toddler" or "teenager" in the Bible. Those words are created to excuse away the child's behavior rather than having the important task of addressing the heart behind the bad behavior and changing it.

I realize that I have really done a disservice to my girls. For the most part, they truly are great. But I can tell that I have not instilled in them a love for the Lord. They love to read the Bible (well, what THEY consider reading - looking at pictures). They like when Momma reads the Bible to them. They love to sing songs about Jesus. They love to talk about God and his creation. But I can tell they do not reverence Him. I can tell that they do not really LOVE Him.

And why? Because I have difficulty reverencing the Lord. I do not live my life as if I truly LOVE Him. I have placed things on a higher priority than Him. I tried explaining to my 7 year old that the reason it is so important that she learns now how to love and obey God is because the older you get, the more difficult it is. I did not grow up learning how to love and obey. And I struggle daily. I don't want my children to have that struggle.