In the last several months, all three of our children have made professions of faith. I smile at how unexpectedly  these events have unfolded. As a result, I’m developing thoughts on salvation and children, but as I’m watching my children, I hesitate to write thoughts which might embarrass or make them uncomfortable later on. As well, I don’t want to speak without considering long what is on my heart.

Last night I realized that I haven’t had the kids write out in their words their testimony. I might do this, and see what we get. While I do not want them to invent a memory, I would desire that they remember what they have done. Talking and writing about their profession is of great value toward this end. The more they remember, the better able they will be to evaluate their own profession in years to come.

If you’re wondering about young children and their capacity for salvation, I commend to you Spurgeon’s book on this topic. Please read it, if you have not done so. It will encourage and challenge you, far more than most child-rearing books in print today.

Random thoughts:

I believe that salvation is simple enough for a child to understand. I believe that, while it is appropriate to evaluate a child’s understanding of salvation, Scripture makes refusing a child’s testimony to be a very serious thing. Adults seem to require far greater maturity of an adult convert than a child convert. Children are developing mentally and physically, making their spiritual growth look different than an adult convert. Cultivating a desire for spiritual things is important (just because plants naturally grow doesn’t mean than we shouldn’t tend them carefully!) I need to trust the Holy Spirit with the salvation of my children. It is also not a good thing to carry guilt for a long period of time. How a child perceives himself is of importance (more on this later).

Popularity: 1% [?]

Filed under: Salvation

I’m reading John 6 today, and I read about Jesus feeding the five thousand. Jesus asked Philip where he was going to get enough food to feed the people.

I was reminded that Jesus was teaching his disciples two things. First, that Jesus is the source of all our needs. Second, that Jesus is primarily concerned with meeting our spiritual needs. We can see this concern in his impatience with the disciples who could see only the physical.

So I asked myself this morning, Self, what are you primarily concerned about? And to be honest, although there are periods of my life where I am more concerned about spiritual needs, I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the physical needs, and that’s nearly all I have been praying about lately.

I needed my mind to be renewed by God’s truth. May I seek first the kingdom of God in my prayer life. God knows what I need physically, and he cares more about my physical needs than the sparrows. I still have much to do, and God is good to remind me that he cares about those things too. But life is more than renting a house out, or finding a house, or adjusting to a new work schedule of my husband, or wrestling with civilizing my children. All these things consume unsaved mamas, too. I need Christ. I need his love. I need to see eternity in each hour.

And now I need to go help my son make the fudge he’s been wanting to try this morning.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Uncategorized

Yesterday, when Laurel was whining about something, it occurred to me that her God-given strength– her ability to articulate anything and everything– was going unused as long as she was whining and crying. I stopped my short, irritated lecture, and pulled her on my lap.

“Did you know that God [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 1% [?]

Filed under: Communication and Meaning

I’ve got lots of posts written but have felt woefully lacking in tone–

In any case, I’ll share a little of what has been rolling around in my head. Hopefully I can keep my tone under control.

We seem to need a more robust (i.e., biblical) idea of sanctification. That’s safe, [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Mom Time

I talked earlier about being slow to speak and quick to hear as a part of being slow to anger. And here about encouraging conversation instead of lecturing.

I’ve been thinking lately that I need to be slow to speak for another reason: I’m interfering with my children’s ability to [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Getting Along

I have a five year old who whines routinely, cries when she doesn’t get her own way, and wants her own way most of the time. As she came to tell me about a sister who did not move when she told her to, I informed her that her sister [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed under: Uncategorized

(Or simply, Spiritual Instruction Outside of the Box)

An excellent  missions blog I read on occasion has a link to a website that I found fascinating, not merely for its implications in missions, but also for its implications on teaching non-standard learners.

Our American churches emphasize the written word heavily, and [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Tags: learning disability
Filed under: Child Development, Communication and Meaning

Far from learning obedience in three easy lessons, my children (as well as I) continue to learn and wrestle with what it means to obey.

I’ve been talking with my children lately about the relationship between trust and obedience. These are not long conversations. In fact, they are short, but [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Obedience

Do you think God is pleased with your parenting right now?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself. You need to know that I fall short in many ways. I wrestle with selfishness as a mother. I am often reminded of areas where I fall short (i.e., sin). Yet, I [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed under: Mom Time

David came to me this morning, troubled. It seems that the girls were playing right outside his door this morning, hoping he would wake up and play with them. He was certain they had come into his room, and was bothered that they denied it.

He was sleepy and grouchy. [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed under: Getting Along

Yesterday, I gave each child a third of some glorified silly putty I bought for Lee awhile back. They played with it and I talked. Maybe they liked playing with the silly putty (I told them they could only play with it when we were talking about the Bible), [...] Continue Reading…

Popularity: 9% [?]

Filed under: Family Devotions, Salvation, Using Questions