November 2019 Articles

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Spiritual Corner: Sharing God in Word and Deed

Spiritual Corner: Sharing God in Word and Deed

I’m not sure who all knows, but my husband, Randy, and I are expecting our first child, a son, Hayden “Rebel” Alexander in late January. We are so excited and thankful for this little blessing that God has given us. Carrying Rebel and feeling him kick and move has gotten me thinking a lot about how I want to raise him and what I want for him in life. It’s made me take a close look at the kids that I teach and try and determine why they behave the way that they do or why certain kids seem to have better work ethics or attitudes, etc. The conclusion that I’ve come to is something that I believe is true, not only for our biological children, but for all of the kids that we have the opportunity to be an influence over. First of all, God needs to be the focus of what we teach them about and share with them. However, we cannot just talk to them about God, but we must SHOW them God through our actions. We must be consistent with them and back our words up with our actions. For example, if we preach over and over to our child that they don’t need to use foul language, and yet, we let words slip in front of them quite often, what are we really saying to them? If we tell our children that they need to go to church as often as they can, but we only go once a week, what message are we portraying? Kids may listen to what we say, but more often than not, they are going to watch what we do. They want to see if we are going to follow through with what we say or if we are sincere in what we are preaching to them. Do we walk the walk or simply talk the talk? I have zero experience in being a parent so I am in no way trying to tell other parents how to raise their children. I am completely speaking to myself as I write this article because I know that there are so many things I need to work on with my kids at school, let alone when my son is born. However, I do believe wholeheartedly that the best way we can improve as a parent, a teacher, a coach, a friend, a husband/wife, etc. is to WORK ON OURSELVES. We need to consume ourselves in God’s word. We don’t need to just read a section to check it off our to-do list. We need to breathe it in, meditate on it, and “write it on the tablet of our hearts” (Proverbs 7:3). We need to go to God in prayer every day and earnestly seek Him. We need to fill our lives with good deeds for Him and the people in this world. We need to share His love with everyone that we encounter. Think about the people who have impacted you the most in your life. Odds are, they didn’t just give you advice. They, most likely, showed you that they cared by being an active part of your life or by reminding you that they cared or were there for you. As my husband and I get ready to welcome our precious son into the world, I continually think about how much I want him to know and love God. I get scared of how good of a parent I will be, but I pray about it every single day. I am confident in God’s faithfulness though, and I believe that if I continue to work on myself and my walk with God, I will be able to positively impact my son and others around me. I hope this article can encourage all of us to strive to better ourselves for the glory of God and help us to impart a genuine love for God on the future generations. --Dana Alexander