Tag: beautifulheartedparenting

“Come to Me.” Jesus

Linsey Driskill
3Fountainoflife
With all the flooding, hurricanes, remembering 9/11, and all else going on, I am reminded of these words Jesus said in a loud voice: “ANYONE who is thirsty, come to ME and drink so living water can flow from within you.” However these different events have affected you, I pray that you can find encouragement and hope from the fountain of living water that never runs out. Let’s show our kids how to seek the Lord during these times, so that when they face difficulties, they will also seek His face.
If you have a couple minutes, listen to the song, “Testify,” by Needtobreathe. It reminds me of this verse and refreshes the soul. Here’s a link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDcYsyx2mCg

10 or 15 Years from Now, What do you Want to be Engrained in your Kids’ Hearts?

Linsey Driskill
Henry Cloud Quote10 or 15 years from now, what do you want to be engrained in your kids’ hearts? Do our daily choices and reactions reflect that? I have to ask myself that question often. This is training ground. We are preparing our kids for who they will be. The choices they will make. My goal and hope is that my kids would seek Jesus always and follow his greatest two commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… And, love your neighbor as yourself.” (MT 22:37, 39)
How do we encourage our children to love God and love others? Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us: These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” There it is. It’s not so much a teaching minute, or teaching hour. It’s a way of life. Balance is important as well so as not to overwhelm our kids. As Solomon says, “Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise.” (Ecc. 7:16) There’s no “right way” to teach them. It’s just a matter of making it a part of daily life. You’re the best mom or dad for your child because you’re the exact one God gave them.
Throughout our times with our kids, let’s help them notice…
God Our Forgiver when we lose our temper and ask our child for forgiveness,
God Our Amazing Creator when we notice the trees and flowers,
God Our Grace-Giver when there is a sibling fight and one has to give grace,
God Our Redeemer through sharing that Jesus gave his life for us on the cross,
God Our Greatest Hope when things don’t go their way,
God the Joy-Giver when we remind them he’s the only one who really satisfies,
God Our Comforter when they cry and we tell them God is with us even in our tears,
God the Relationship Giver by having family time,
God the Powerful when we share stories from today and the Bible of his great power,
God’s Unconditional Love when our child spills the entire bag of flour on the floor and we bite our tongue,
God Our Father by praying together,
God the Giver when we love and give to others because he first loved and gave to us.
God the All-Knowing and Our Protector by reminding them God goes before us, and
God With Us when we tell our kids that He is with us when we sit, when we rise, when we walk, when we sleep. Always.
Let’s impress Jesus’ most important commandments on our children’s hearts so their character will hopefully guide the choices they make. While we don’t have control over their choices, we can equip them the best we know how, and then trust the Lord.
The Lord has entrusted these precious children to us so they might experience His great love in our homes and learn what is so dear to His heart: Love God. Love others. Have Faith in Jesus.

Teaching Our Kids to Love Beyond Appearance

Linsey Driskill
How do we raise our kids in today’s world to love like Jesus by not looking at race, but the heart? It makes me so sad and angry to see all the divisiveness and racial atrocities 3holding handsthat have happened. Whether Black, Asian, Hispanic, White, whatever the race, I pray we do not look down on someone based on their skin color or background, and that if we do, we would ask for forgiveness, and for grace to look at people as the Lord does. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)
After teaching 5 years at a predominantly African-American school focused on racial reconciliation, living in Guatemala for a year through the Reconciliation and Mission program, and having great friendships with people of different cultures, it is beautiful when we can learn from one another and just be. Just be ourselves. Connect and share life with one another. Open and honest conversations were a part of our reconciliation focus, and they can be very helpful. While I know many people have far more understanding than myself on the subject, here’s one small example: While I taught 4th grade, the students and I had an open conversation about race. It was welcome in my classroom. One of the girls shared a story about white people and said to me, “Well, I’m not talking about you, Ms. Alison, I don’t see you as white” (Alison was my maiden name). She saw past color because she knew me. It took knowing me to begin breaking down the walls of stereotype and judgment. She saw me as a person, and not a “white girl.” That was a beautiful moment. Relationships make that happen. They start to strip down the walls we have built up.
So, how do we raise our kids to love others beyond appearance? We teach our kids to look to the heart of a person. We teach them that God has created each person uniquely and that we should celebrate that. We teach them that we are to love others who are different and the same. We model it. Our attitude toward people different than us is reflected to our kids. As we interact and build relationships with people of different cultures, races, ages, and abilities, they will see it as part of the norm. If we see a person for who they are, and not their skin color or socio-economic status, they will also.
I assume that’s what most of us want. To be seen for who we are, on the inside. We are all very different, but we also are all very similar: every one of us is made in God’s image (GN 1:27). What a blessing to get to learn and grow from one another. Let’s instill 1 John 4:16 in the hearts of our children so they see people as people and can can love others with the love of Jesus: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9

Become Like Little Children

Linsey Driskill

2ChildrenWhy does Jesus tell us to become like little children? I think mostly because they have great faith and humility. Jesus talks over and over about the importance of faith. Kids simply believe. They can teach us so much if we let them. Kids have so much joy and wonder. They always forgive, don’t care what others think, aren’t in a rush, and simply want time together. Jesus’ intense words below express the importance of becoming like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. When we are with our children this week, let’s search for ways to become like them so we can experience the kingdom of heaven even more. In Jesus’ words:

“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Jesus (MT 18:10)

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” MT 18:3-4

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” MT 19:14

“From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” Jesus (MT 21:16)

Listening… The FIRST Time.

Linsey Driskill
Listening to the little things prepares our kids to listen to the bigger, more important things. Do you ask your kids over and over to do something?
The other day, I had to ask my kids to get dressed 3 times. I want them to show respect by listening and doing what I say the first time.
I don’t think we should do incentives all the time,  but in spurts, they can help kick start good behavior. Share verses along wth it too so it can have an even more powerful effect.
This is how it works:
1. EVERY time my kids listen the first time, I let THEM put a marble in the jar (only allow them to, if they’re old enough to handle marbles): getting dressed right away, cleaning the room after asking once, etc.
2. But I only give a marble for listening the first time and nothing else. When the marble jar is full, they’ll get a reward like go out for ice cream or bake a cake. If listening isn’t the thing your kids need to work on, you can pick another issue.
3. A great verse for our kids to memorize and for us to discuss while doing the marble jar is James 1:19: “Everyone should be quick to listen.”
39872817_736408793365405_7806617829490294784_o4. One rule- they cannot ask to get a marble.
Doing this once or twice every so often can retrain our kids to listen well.
My hope is that they would listen with the small things, so that when I speak about bigger things, they will also have open ears and hearts to hear me, and more importantly, hear Jesus, so his words in John 10:27 will come to life, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”