First Lady’s Blog: Concerning Childrearing

Let’s Take This Journey Together: Concerning Childrearing

Concerning Childrearing | Concerning Marriage | Concerning Singlehood | Concerning Singlehood
Concerning Women of God | Concerning Women of God | Concerning Women of God
Concerning Women of God | Concerning Ministry

Hello ladies, and welcome to my blog! The year 2014 is behind us – which means it’s time to say goodbye to my Women of the Bible Series. I must say, as I wrote about each of those pivotal women, learning the way they thought, felt and realizing their experiences were not much different than our experiences today, I found myself connecting with each of them in a special way. I hope you learned from them as I did.

This year I am shifting focus again. As a teacher, my students know that one of my favorite sayings is, “Let’s take this journey together!” So, I decided to make this the title of my 2015 blog. This year, I will be answering questions that many of us have about this Christian journey, but may be afraid to ask. All questions are submitted anonymously, and I will answer your questions using Biblical principles and drawing from my personal experiences. So if you have a question or would like to comment, feel free to submit them – you just may see your question addressed and answered on my blog! I look forward to another year of sharing with you. Let’s Take This Journey Together!

Taking this journey together,

First Lady Vivian Pruitte

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QUESTION: How do I put a love of God in my children at a young age? What are some specific things I can do to make coming to church and being involved seem fun and enjoyable – especially during the early years when they might not understand all that is going on during the services?

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ANSWER: Several years ago, I had a supervisor tell me that he was of one religion and his wife of another. So I asked him in which church they were going to raise their child. He proceeded to say to me, “Neither. When he gets older, he will choose for himself.” This made me think. Children don’t just grow up and say one day, “I think I’ll accept Christ as my Lord and Savior today.” They must be exposed to Christ first. 

Whether you were a child or an adult when you began going to church, the reason you are in church today is because you were exposed you to it. The Lord entrusts us with our children and gives us the responsibility to train and raise them. I’m sure you have heard the scripture more times than you can count, “train up a child…” but, the Lord also commands us to teach our children about Him; He wants us to do it diligently and consistently (Deut. 6:6-7). Unless you expose your child to the Lord and the things of God, he or she will not choose the Lord of their own accord.

To begin to put a love for God in your child, you must demonstrate to your child that you love the Lord and that you do not find the work of the Lord cumbersome. If you don’t enjoy it, your child won’t either. You should tell your children about the goodness of God and share some of your personal testimony with them. You should also point out to them how the Lord has blessed them. 

One of the things I used to do with my daughters growing up was to encourage them to develop a relationship with the Lord. They partook in praying and fasting – even if it was for a shorter period – with me and my husband. We would discuss the Bible lessons together. When they had concerns, I encouraged them to pray and see what the Lord says. Then, I would follow up and ask them about His response.

In church is where our children will get some of their greatest exposure to God.  Getting them to love church may be challenging, but there are some things we can do to make it more enjoyable for them while they are yet learning about the God we are serving. Here are just a few:

1. Make sure they attend the youth services and Bible studies. If you only bring them in time for service, they will always find church boring.
2. While they are young, bring things like paper and colored pencils (only a few) and encourage or give your child an incentive to draw a picture of what the preacher is talking about and discuss it when you get home. I would shy away from video games or anything that would keep their ears occupied when the message is going forth. Whether they are asleep or awake, the Word will penetrate their little ears, but if they are busy playing video games, they will not grasp the purpose or importance of attending church.
3. Giving your child instruments to play along with the music is another way to involve them. Have them bring their Bible (or children’s Bible) and encourage them to follow along.
4. Feed them a good breakfast before church so hunger won’t irritate them during service
5. Bring them to church frequently so they can get adjusted. If you skip services, they will have a hard time adjusting to the people and the church environment.
6. Get them involved. Find a job for them to do and stress the importance of that job to the ministry (even if it is picking up papers or fans after service).
7. For very young children, bring a variety of soft toys to play with. Remove them from the sanctuary for a few minutes if they get too irritable.
8. For older children, get them involved doing something in the church. You can consult your pastor about finding something for them to do.
9. On the days you don’t have service, do fun things with your children so they won’t feel the church takes up all their time.
10. Always remind your children how much God loves them and have them think of ways they can show their love to God.

It is important for our children to get to know the God that we love so that they too can develop a relationship with Him. Remember that our ultimate goal is that they too may accept the Lord as their own. But remember, they will not choose Him unless they are exposed to Him.