Most everyday my son loves to grab my keys, stretch as far he little toes will allow him, and touch a door knob. And I think he’s attempt at being a night watchman can be traced back to yours truly. For the past year or so, my son has regularly walked the halls of FBCE with me locking and unlocking doors. And now he wants a turn.
I mention the story because it illustrates just how much influence we parents have on our kids. Whether we realize or not, we are shaping our kids.
Now there are great coaches, inspiriting teachers, and godly pastors, but none of them can compete with a parent’s influence over their kid. Teachers and the like get our kids for a few hours. We have our kids for a lifetime.We are hold the key to our kids success.
God designed us as parents to lead our families. We read in the Deuteronomy 6 that we are supposed to teach our kids about God from the time they time we flip on junior’s bedroom light till the time we flip it off. And we are commanded to teach our kids about God because God knows that we are always teaching. We are either teaching our kids to trust in the power of the flesh and to love the world or we are encouraging them to obey God. Class is always in. And God wants us to make it about him.
To succeed as Parents, we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. We must be growing in our faith, changing our attitudes, actions, and loves to align with scripture. To be good parents, we must have hearts ruled by God’s word.
Admittedly, becoming more like Jesus is a serious and at times arduous endeavor. We daily fight against selfish impulses, pride, arrogance, and laziness. We top spiritual mountains full of joy and we fall into valley of death filled with sorrow. We need help at times. And even if we are doing well, we can always benefit from godly encouragement and teaching. We can never be so blessed that we don’t need God’s word. Thankfully, God’s gives parents an awesome resource that does all these things. It’s called the church.
The church exists to encourage and to help everyone (adults included) grow in their understanding of God. Through the preaching of the word, the fellowship of other believers, and the admonishment of friends, we can have hearts ruled by God’s word.
This weekend (August 29 and 30) FBCE will be hosting its bi-annual Biblical Parenting Conference. We realize as a church staff that the best way to reach your kids is to encourage and build up parents. If you are able, we greatly encourage you to be a part of the conference. And if you can’t be a part of it or other conferences, make your spiritual growth a priority. Study the word, commit to a local church, and study a book or two on parenting (see the must reads page for some great suggestions).
Just by watching me, my son came to love keys and door knobs. What else are our kids picking up?
Witkowski Blog 
Great article about keys and your son!!
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