Parenting in a Pandemic
What losses have your children suffered during the pandemic?” I posed this question to a mom of three children. Right away she listed some of the meaningful activities her children missed: play dates with friends; music lessons; afterschool activities; sports practice; youth group; mission trip preparations; the youth conference; story time at the library; Friday dinner at their favorite restaurant; movie night with friends; the debate team and all the extracurricular activities that make a school experience memorable.”
After a pause, she continued, “And I miss activities I use to enjoy too. Now I’m busy overseeing the kid’s schoolwork as well as managing the home—a somewhat painful lifestyle shift! It’s funny but feeling crazy busy was how I described the frantic pace of family activity before social distancing too! Although none of our activities were bad, there was never enough time for more important things. Maybe this abrupt change will allow us to step back and re-order our family’s priorities.”
One day the crisis of the pandemic will be over. What lessons from isolation are worth remembering?
Life with God is the only way to true happiness.
Whatever looks beautiful and exciting—that’s what draws kids! Anything that promises fun easily distracts them. It’s not hard to see the idols of their hearts. We hear their dreams. We see what makes them angry. We know where they look for comfort. Even good activities can subtly become idols that promise more than they deliver. Like us, children seem always to want, have or do a little more. How can we gain courage to push back on the demanding idols of our child’s heart?
Money, friends, talents, looking good and being smart may make our children happy for a while. But nothing can ever be enough. God did not make us to find our joy in things. Jesus came to fill our hearts with his life. He alone gives us true satisfaction (John 10:10). What if we reclaimed a portion of our family time with Bible reading and prayer? A God-centered family frees children to discover that true happiness comes when you give your life to Jesus. When we find our joy in him, we can enjoy every good gift he gives.
God made your child to love him and live for him.
The world tells you and your child, “your life is about you.” The truth is, God made us for himself. Nothing in life can make us as happy as God. Unless we know the true God, we cannot really know ourselves or how we should live. We know ourselves by looking to God. God gives parents the privilege of introducing their child to him. As we read the Bible together, we have the privilege of introducing our child to God. Draw attention to God’s attributes. Witness the miracle of God opening their hearts to see him.
We were made for God. He created us to love and enjoy him. As parents share the gospel with their children, they begin to see the wonder of God’s design. He made us to love him, life for him and be in relationship with him forever (Psalm 16:11; Genesis 1:26; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Parents who pray can show their children what it looks like to depend on God for everything they need. We are alive to bring praise to Jesus.
Worth Remembering
Most of us wrestle with the looking for joy in activities instead of God. Yet our lives will never be right until we live for him. We are alive to bring praise to Jesus. Compared to God’s purpose for their lives, our dreams for our children will always be too small. What lessons from this season do you want to remember? How will you use this pandemic to reorder your priorities? A God-centered family gives children room to discover true happiness through faith in Jesus Christ.
Note: Word in the Home is in over 20 countries! God is preparing the next generation to lead in the cause of Christ. Please pray that He will use this tool to spread the truth of the gospel in our families. Sign up (use messenger) to receive free Gospel of Luke discipleship lessons. Pray that our children will meet Jesus and find His Word life-giving.
Copyright © 2020 Barbara Reaoch. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED