Praying for faith and love in our homes and families, and in our community

Years ago our youngest son, Tim, served on the State of Alaska Board of Education as the youth / high school member of the board under Commissioner Larry LeDoux. Tim was very active at that time in student government at Palmer High School, and active in student government around the state, so he was chosen to serve for a year and a half. Tim would come home from these meetings, held around the state, and share with us the various efforts which the state of Alaska was making to improve education for the students of our state. I would listen to Tim tell about his experiences, and then I would do “the dad thing;” I shared my opinion. “Tim, I know this is not very politically correct. But, I believe the best thing the state of Alaska could do to improve education would be to work to strengthen homes and families.”

Last week my wife read me a Facebook post, reported to be from a first grade teacher. Who knows if this post really is from a teacher – it’s Facebook! Yet, I did hear truth from this post, truth which reflects my Christian values, and truth that reminded me of my conversations with Tim. The teacher wrote:

“When I look around my classroom I couldn’t tell you who crawled first, who walked before one or spoke in sentences by 15 months. I can’t tell you if their parents breastfed or bottle fed. No clue if they still wear pull-ups at night, because I’m sure many do! I don’t know if they potty trained at 18 months or 4 years old. I don’t know if their mom ever left them to cry it out for a few minutes or if they strapped them to their bodies 24/7. You know what I can tell when I look at my kids? I can tell which families value kindness and manners in their homes. I can tell when a child feels loved and secure at home (and at school which sadly isn’t always everyone’s school experience!) I know who has pizza and movie night Friday nights and which mom reads in different voices for bedtimes. I see how kids handle scary situations like thunderstorms. I can see who has a solid routine at home and who has chores and responsibilities. I can hear how you speak to your children by how they speak to others. When I look at my little friends I don’t see their milestones, I see who they are: their heart, their actions, their inner voice, their struggles and triumphs, and I see you, and all the love you pour into them. We are always supposed to talk about testing and benchmarks and data during parent teacher conferences and I had a mom last time look at me and say, “I don’t worry about all the reading and math, she will get there. I want to know . . . how she is, as a person? Is she kind? Does she include others?

That took my breath away and is something that will always stick with me!! Go easy on yourselves mamas, just love your little ones . . . it’s all they need.”

God created families as cradles for faith and love. Yet, so much pulls families apart today, whether busy-ness, or assaults on morality and faith, or even our own personal struggles. I see those struggles in my own parenting, in my own children, in my grandchildren, and in the families of St. John. No wonder my wife, Kathy, says, “Satan attacks Christian faith by attacking families.” Kathy has also shares with her fellow nurses at work, “Anyone can be a nurse. No one else can be your husband’s wife, or your kids’ mom!”

This devotion is not meant to scold people who feel inadequate as parents. We could all have done a better job of parenting at various times. But, I do want to share the assurance that God is with parents as they seek to do one of the most important tasks God gives them, raising their children in faith and love. In Matthew 18 Jesus speaks about the importance of children in the eyes of our heavenly Father. “10 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. 11 12 What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:10-14) Our Lord in heaven has special care for children AND gives them special protection. We have called that protection, “Guardian angels.” (verse 10) God cares about every child, and He is with parents as they seek to raise their children. When our Lord sent His only begotten Son into this world to save us, God placed Jesus into a family, a family who protected and loved and taught Him. Our Heavenly Father helps us teach faith and love if we allow Him to help us. Some of the best ways to teach values to our children are through home devotions and through regular attendance in worship and Sunday School.

I have served as a substitute teacher in the Mat-Su School District during the last two years, and I have been impressed with the quality of teachers in our schools, and impressed by what they are teaching. However, I still hold to what I told Tim, “I believe the best thing the state of Alaska could do to improve education would be to work to strengthen homes and families.” In fact, healthy Christian homes would not just make schools better, but would improve our whole community. People would act in faith and love, not because they are afraid of punishment, but because they want to serve the Lord who loves them and saves them.

Parents, grandparents, please know that God loves your little ones, and He is beside you helping you through all the challenges you face. I pray for my children and for my grandchildren daily. I also pray God’s blessings and help for each of you as you seek to teach your children faith in our Lord and love for others, as you teach them that which is really important.