The Blessing of Being with Your Children
When a mother holds her newborn baby and rocks back and forth in the rocking chair singing “Jesus Loves Me” for the first time, she experiences the gift of being the first person ever to tell her baby about Jesus. God gives mamas and daddies the gift of being present when their children first learn to trust God.
King David said:
Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
Upon You I was cast from birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
Psalm 22:9-10
Paul told Timothy:
For I am mindful
of the sincere faith within you,
which first dwelt
in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice,
and I am sure that it is in you as well.
2 Timothy 1:5
A priceless day-in and day-out gift for parents is the privilege of making disciples of their children.
You are with your children. One of the most important things you are doing when you homeschool your children is simply being with them. When a child makes a discovery about clouds or insects or a Biblical truth, you are there. When your daughter draws a picture that she likes, you can share her pleasure. When your son builds a Lego castle, you can tell him it is amazing.
When your child is disappointed, you are there to comfort. When your teenager gets disillusioned, you are there to give hope.
You are filling your children’s hearts with good experiences and teachings and feelings that are helping to mold them.
On one special night, Jesus spent the whole night praying to His Father. The next morning, He chose twelve of His disciples to be His apostles. He appointed those twelve so they could be with Him. What a wonderful way for Jesus to teach these twelve men, to have them be with Him. By having them near, He could teach them in every teachable moment.
One of the greatest blessings of homeschooling is the opportunity to have our children with us so we can use teachable moments, too.
My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
Proverbs 6:20-21