God in the House

I have gone to church all my life.  I was raised in the church.  I am not one of those people who has some great testimony about what lead them to Christ.  I have always believed.  


Lately I have been thinking about my children and their walk with God.  By having them baptized as infants (we are Methodist) I have committed to guiding and nourishing that relationship.  I have thought a lot about what I am doing, what I have done, and what I would like to do to set them forth on a path where their relationship with God is an enriching friendship that provides them an undeniable love and security.  


When my sister and I were little my parents were very involved in our church.  They were part of a Sunday School class, they played softball, they worked with our Wednesday night program (Logos), they worked with the youth group, sang in the choir, served on committees... the list goes on and on.  If the saying that "actions speak louder than words" is true, then my parents were a shining example of believing, loving, and serving our Lord.


Looking back, the one thing I wish we had was the "words" to go along with the actions.  While I remember praying with my parents at dinner and before bed, I do not remember God being spoken of often.  Now granted, this is just my memory so I could be wrong.  But I don't remember us discussing what was talked about in church, or speaking of the Lord in times of need or trouble, or hearing Bible verses.  To this day it is the same.  I see my parents Bibles out.  Often times I see my Dad reading his.  However, God isn't spoken of like He lives in our home.


I want that to be different for my children, and I try to make it that way.  I want God to be spoken of like He is another family member or friend.  When my children have a good day, I want it to be second nature to them to stop and thank God.  When they are struggling with something, I want scripture to come to their minds and fill their hearts.  I want them to talk to God as if they can tell him anything and not worry about the formalities adults often add to prayers.  I truly want them to have a relationship with God in our home.  I want them to see my actions combined with my words and have that as their guide.


I realize I have a long way to go before I can truly be the spiritual leader they need.  First and foremost, I need to marry their father.  The guilt of that eats at me everyday.  Then I need to continue feeding myself spiritually.  I'm not sure what that will look like when it's all done, but it is heavy on my heart that changes are needing to be made.  Perhaps it will be a growing experience for all of us. 

"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." 

Proverbs 22:6