I’m a mom of three little ones. On any given day I struggle to be patient, focused, use teaching moments, and be an attentive mom. Compounding the normal stresses of parenting and work are the recent world and national events that have been anxiety provoking to say the least. I’ve struggled. I don’t want my children to live in fear, I want them to feel secure and to know that Christ is always with them. All while at the same time I’m trying to remember the same thing! It’s hard enough as an adult but living this out and teaching our children is even harder. These years have been tough.
As adults many of us have struggled to find hope and patience amid the fear. The increasing struggles of our world and nation have led many to anxiety, hopelessness, anger, and fear. Having many of our false securities ripped away makes us raw, and it can often reveal our true character. School has been out and then back in, people have been working from home and or the office and suddenly we are aware of little ones that are watching us all day long. These little eyes have always been watching us and learning, but now it’s more apparent that they are watching us. So what are they learning? Are they learning to read their Bible? Are they learning to talk with the Lord about their fears? To protect themselves while also recognizing that our hope in Christ is eternal? Teaching our kids to live without fear makes living out our own faith all that more real! Our children are watching the way we handle world events. We are leading by example even if we don’t think they are watching. Sally Lloyd-Jones, the author of The Jesus Storybook Bible (a personal favorite) once said this:
Children look to us for everything, But in all that we’ve given children, have we forgotten to give them hope? Have we left them in despair, looking at what they should do but don’t? Looking at who they should be but aren’t? How then do we give hope to children?
Sally summarizes it by saying it is teaching Jesus’ “wonderful, never-stopping, never-giving-up, un-breaking, always, and forever love.” It is up to us as parents to teach our children this foundation. They need to see this in our relationship with Jesus and to see it lived out in our peace, hope, and love for others.
There are no new words that will be shared here, only a passage of encouragement and a reminder that this world is not our own, but we are called to make a difference where we are in this moment. Our hope is found in the eternal security of Christ
We are created to love Jesus and share that love with others.
- With your children, thank Jesus for life and for his special thought going into making you and your family.
- Read your Bible together.
- With your children think of a way to show love to someone. Some possibilities could be baking cookies for a neighbor, having dinner dropped off for a elderly person in your neighborhood, using chalk to write an encouraging Bible verse at the end of your sidewalk for all to see, and praying specifically for people in need.
- Have fun together!
The world is broken. At the core of our being we need to be so in love with Christ that we find hope in eternity with Christ. We need not fear the future.
- Talk about sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
- Parents, allow your children to see and hear you ask Jesus for forgiveness for sins in your own life. Ask your children for forgiveness if you need to.
- Don’t shy away from moments that talk about life and death. Use very simple language to talk to your children about the reality of it, emphasizing the gift of life with Christ after death.
Talk about heaven often. We look forward to heaven because Jesus is in heaven and this is what gives us hope for the future.
Considering Tele-therapy?
Christian Mom Counseling provides professional counseling via virtual teletherapy for women located in the state of North Carolina. We utilize real-time video to have sessions with women all over the state of NC. There are multiple reasons why and here are a few:
- As a mom of three, I understand the difficulty of scheduling and making time for myself. I’ve found that many other mothers who are in the early childhood stage of motherhood find scheduling online sessions easier and more feasible. Save time on travel and sitters and schedule online.
- You can attend your session even if you are sick without the risk of exposing anyone else!
- It’s a good option if you live in a remote area that makes finding a counselor close to you difficult.
- My primary specialty is faith-based Christian Counseling. That being said, many of my clients have commented on their inability to find counselors who claim to be Christian and include faith as a major part of the client’s healing and recovery.
- Virtual Counseling is here to stay and studies have shown that in many cases tele-therapy can be equally as effective. You will always hear me recommend in person interpersonal connections (family, friends, church, small groups, and other forms of deep relationships with others) but online counseling can provide many of the same advantages of in-person counseling.
If you’ve been wondering if tele-therapy would be a good fit I’d love to hear from you! Click the button below to form to schedule a free phone consultation: