Are Your Kids Gifts?

A conference speaker asked a volunteer from the audience: “If I were to place an I-beam across the floor, would you walk across it for $20?”  “Sure!” she replied eagerly.“What if that I-Beam were suspended between two tall buildings, forty stories in the air?” She shook her head, “No.”“Ok,”  said the speaker, “Suppose the I-beam is forty stories in the air, you are on one building and I am on the other and I’m holding one of your kids, threatening to drop that child if you don’t cross – would you do it?”She hesitated, then asked, “Which one have you got?”The Psalmist said, “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him” (Psalms 127:3 NLT).We tend to feel that way when we’ve been apart for awhile and miss them. But the time that matters most to your kids is when you are together. Do they sense that you see them as gifts from God? Or do they feel more like they are a bother…in the way?Letting your kids know how special they are involves more than frequently saying, “I love you." Here’s how they know that they matter to you.

• Planned time together. An evening at home doing nothing can be fun, but probably a lot more enjoyable to you than to your kids. Plan periodic special events. Take them to the museum, the zoo, picnic at the park, play catch or a board game.
• Teaching them. Tell them why you believe what you believe. Teach them about God. Show them how to pray (conversationally). Get a children’s Bible story book and tell them the stories. Bridge Kids can be a big help, but it’s really only a help. Learning about God from you will make a bigger impact.
• Listening to them. Nothing makes a person feel unimportant like being ignored. The communication habits you start while they are young will mean a lot to you when they get into their teenage years. Slow down…listen to what they say…learn everything you can about their little hearts.
• Setting limits. Undisciplined children are kids crying to be noticed enough to be taught how to behave. It’s a lot easier to ignore bad behavior, but it is not loving. Children disciplined in love know that they are important.

I’m sure that you view your children as gifts from God. But it matters more that they know. It’s not enough to say it. They have to be convinced of it. Plan your time together, intentionally teach them values and spiritual truths, listen carefully to them, and don’t be afraid to discipline.