‘“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ Deuteronomy 6:4-9(NLT)
‘“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.’ Deuteronomy 11:18-21(NLT)
‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ‘ Galatians 6:9(NLT)
‘As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Thessalonians 1:3(NLT)
As a parent, you need to love your spouse. However, you also need to love your family. That means that you need to put your family first. We live in a busy world. It is so easy to get involved with many different things. It is easy to allow work and other activities to occupy all of our time. Spending quality time together with our family will not happen automatically. Sometimes, it requires a sacrifice. Nevertheless, we need to be intentional about our time together as a family. We need to make our family a priority.
Have meals together. Do fun activities together. Play together. You need to have leisure time and enjoy each other, but you also need to have serious, heartfelt conversations with your children. Sometimes we are really tired when we get home. Often, we allow that to rob us of the time we should spend with our children. We miss the opportunity of having meaningful substantive conversations with them.
Be intentional about creating quality times with your children. Guard your time together. You can volunteer at their school or coach a sport they are interested in. Or you can engage your children in an activity that you are doing. For example, if you are allowed to bring your children to your office or you work for yourself, take your children to work with you. Let them see what you do for living. Maybe, they will help. Maybe, they can learn a skill. Other times, take your children with you when you go shopping. Let them be part of daily family responsibilities. Create special time with them and also engage them in your activities; both will help them enjoy your company. Children will always appreciate that.
Raising children is an expensive undertaking. It not only has financial costs, but it requires time, energy, and emotional resources. When you get weary, ask the Holy Spirit to replenish you. Remember your children are the greatest investment you will ever make. It is a lifelong investment. As hard as it is, it will be worth it in the end if you do it right.
from How To Be A Good Christian Parent