My Charlie is a Wild Man in the making. Someday he’ll be skydiving and hang gliding and I’ll see the Instagram pictures after the fact and be thanking his guardian angel even more. So when we had our sweet Lou this summer I worried about her safety with such a rambunctious brother in the house.
We were getting back from a walk one summer afternoon when Lou was about 3 months old. I was scolding Charles for climbing on the stroller, afraid he would step on his sister, when I looked down and saw her little face grinning up at him.
My instant thought was, “Good heavens, they’re already conspiring against me!
My kids aren’t old enough to fight yet so as of now they adore each other. When Lou jabbers, Charlie shrieks, “Talking!” and runs over to babble with her. He takes away her nice little baby toys and replaces them with his Matchbox cars or play tools. She lies on her Boppy pillow watching him play with admiring eyes and a silly grin. I know they’ll go through plenty of sibling growing pains, but I think they’ll be good friends, too.
If there is one thing I want my children to know, it’s that they don’t have to go at this life alone. The God of the universe who seeks to guide their lives daily treasures them beyond worth.
How are they going to know this truth? Know this God who pursues them so passionately? Through his word.
God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
God arms me with strength,
and he makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:30-32 NLT
My children won’t have perfect lives. I won’t parent them perfectly. They will fail many times in this life. But God’s way for them is perfect and they can experience abundant life by knowing him and following his heart.
It is too easy for me to parent them from my own wisdom, head knowledge and habits. But a huge part of why I’m writing is because I want to passionately pursue God in his word and help kindle the same fire in them and in more children of their generation.
What does our relationship with God look like? Can the children in our lives see God and understand that the truth of his word can guide their lives, too? This is what we should be all about.