Nurturing moms in their walk with God
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On February 13, 2009, I wrote My Very First Post on Girls to Grow.
Our daughters were eight and six years old, in the middle of their second grade and K5 years of school. I’d recently started reading blogs, and since I’ve always enjoyed writing, I decided I’d give blogging a try.
1,286 posts later, I’m sifting through the memories and boxing up the words as I bring an end to Girls to Grow.
Our daughters are 24 and 22 years old now, married to wonderful young men, working and learning and making their mom and dad proud on a daily basis.
By God’s grace, those girls we wanted to grow have grown. We homeschooled and Christian-schooled, depending on the year. We sat through soccer games, basketball games, cheer competitions, piano recitals, choir and band concerts, fine arts festivals, plays, and graduations.
From Sunday morning services to Wednesday night youth group, we were blessed to be a part of a church family. We had a junior year of high school and a freshman year of college cut short because of COVID-19. We’ve sent them off to summer camps and enjoyed family vacations, smiled through tears at college drop-offs, engagements, and weddings.
In looking back, there’s heartfelt gratitude for the people who poured into our kids. The Sunday School teachers, the coaches, the pastors, the Christian school teachers, the parents of their friends – they’re part of who our girls are today.
Then there’s my husband. He’s been the rock in our family, the no-nonsense and no-drama guy the three of us girls need, the one with great wisdom and faith who led – and continues to lead – us so well.
If I’ve learned anything while writing here, it’s that God, His Word, and prayer are the hope and strength we need when it comes to parenting our children. There were rocky teen years, moments of self-doubt and “are we doing this right?” and “will she make it through this?”
It’s not great parenting that makes great kids. Yes, we try our best to follow Biblical principles and love and invest in our precious children. But ultimately, it’s a great God who is gracious in spite of our mistakes, who hears and answers prayers, and who loves those girls more than we do.
Our nest is now officially empty. We’re enjoying this season of life together as husband and wife, grateful that our daughters and son-in-laws live nearby and we can see them often.
And now, as I close the doors here, I’m opening another one. I still want to write, to hopefully encourage and walk alongside other women who want to flourish in faith and family.
So very soon I’ll begin blogging at TraceyBrewer.com. I hope you’ll join me there. (If you pop over there any time soon, it’s a hot mess, aka a work in progress 🙂
In the meantime, if you’d like to sign up for my emails, I’ll be sharing more details on how you can receive regular updates when I begin publishing posts on my new site.
And just to be clear, Girls to Grow will continue to live here on the Internet for a while; you can still read and share old posts. I just won’t be adding any new content after today.
Finally, I’m very thankful for all of those who’ve read and commented here over the years. I’ve gotten sweet encouragement from many of you, and I’m so grateful. Wherever you are in growing your girls, your boys, your family, may God richly bless you.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. ~Philippians 1:9-11
Welcome to the first blog post of 2025! I hope you had a sweet season celebrating Christmas and ringing in a new year.
In the last few days of 2024, the phrase “lay it down” kept coming to mind. It’s been a while since I’ve done something like choose a word for the year. But I felt like God was impressing that particular phrase on my heart, so I’ve adopted it as my theme for 2025.
I’m not sure what it’s going to mean, like what I might be asked to lay down in 2025. But this is the Bible passage that I thought of as I considered those three words.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ~Matthew 11:28-30
Lay it down. That scares me a little because what I think of first is surrendering things I may hold dear. But I also know there are bad habits, maybe obligations or relationships, and definitely recurring sins that I need to lay down.
How about you? Could there be some things you might need to lay down in the coming months? I already have a list of five things it would be good for me to lay down. See if any of them resonate with you or come up with your own list of things to lay down in 2025.
Do we say “yes” to things just so that someone will like us? Are we seeking affirmation and acceptance from other people or do we allow God to meet those needs?
As we (meaning me 🙂 find our identity in who we are as children of God, we learn to live for His approval. We’re confident in who we are and don’t need to perform to gain other people’s favor.
However, we do want to be helpful and show empathy and kindness. But we do it as unto the Lord, following his command to love our neighbor, not with the motive for them to like us.
In this case, I mean expecting others to behave a certain way.
Here’s an example. We expect that our family will buy us a big, meaningful gift for Mother’s Day. We don’t mention it to anyone, kind of expecting them to read our minds. It’s not something that they do every year. We have no indication that they’ve even thought about the idea. But then we’re disappointed when Mother’s Day comes and goes without that happening.
I can have unrealistic expectations of other people and, at times, of myself. Laying those down will be a good goal for this year.
How often do we set out to accomplish a task, teach a class, or face a conflict without asking God for his help? This year, I want to be so much more mindful of asking God for his strength and assistance in whatever I’m doing.
I can get wrapped up in my head thinking about what that person said or how they treated me. I can run down that person who, in my opinion, doesn’t measure up to what I think they should be.
Let’s lay down any thoughts that are critical of other people. Let’s ask God (because we can’t do it in our own strength) to free us from that. And when those thoughts start – because they will – let’s pull out a Scripture or a praise song and change the narrative in our minds.
Many Bible verses encourage us to guard what we say. If we get going with those critical thoughts, it’s easy for them to turn into words that are critical of others.
Proverbs 13:10 says, “Only by pride cometh contention…” Arguments and disagreements have one single source. Our pride. Sometimes that’s a hard truth to hear!
Pride is a constant enemy of mine, but as much as possible, I’d like to lay it down in 2025.
It’s impossible to know all that God might ask us to lay down in 2025, but I pray that our hearts will be open and sensitive to his leading.
Each month I plan to update this post with what I’ve needed to lay down. Let me know if there’s anything you know you’d like to lay down this year!
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Do you remember what 2020 was like? Sometimes it seems like it was so long ago.
At the beginning of the year, none of us could have predicted how it would unfold. Who could have foreseen a worldwide pandemic that shut down schools and many businesses, confined us all to our homes for a long period of time, and emptied store shelves of toilet paper and cleaning products?
Throw in some major hurricanes, wildfires, protests, and a contentious election season, not to mention the personal ups and downs we all experienced. It was certainly a year we’ll talk about for a long time to come.
Yet we still had a Thanksgiving that year. Maybe the celebration of the season looked different for our families than in other years. Our expectations changed from the traditional to whatever we could manage. And could we give thanks in a year that caught us by surprise and delivered more than its share of disappointment and devastation? Yes. We could, and we did.
Four years later, some of us may be having a year that went sideways in a different way. It could have been a death in the family, an extended illness, a job loss, a move, or the end of a relationship. And Thanksgiving is here again.
So how do we give thanks in hard times? No matter what a year brings us, here are eight things we can be thankful for in this season of gratitude.
“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” ~Deuteronomy 7:9
Our God still meets our needs and even gives us many of our wants. He has not left us to figure out our way through the mess alone. He is ever present and always acts according to His character.
We learned a little about change in 2020, didn’t we? And subsequent years continue to bring changes to our lives. Yet what the Bible said on January 1 is still true in November.
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.” ~Isaiah 40:8
We may not have chosen this particular method of instruction, but we learned lessons nonetheless!
Perhaps we learned to trust God more or made an effort to reach out to others in new ways. Maybe we developed a positive new habit or grew closer in our family relationships. Even though they’re hard, challenging times can help us mature.
There are certain days during a year that we need a healthy dose of hope! I’m always encouraged when I remind myself of God’s promises. And praying those promises can bless our soul, too!
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” ~Lamentation 3:22-23
We’ve been through some uncertain days, but His mercy hasn’t failed. We don’t know what tomorrow looks like, but He does, and will provide whatever mercy is needed.
When we know Jesus as our Savior, Heaven is our eternal home. That, my friends, is something to be thankful for!
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” ~John 14:2-3
Have you prayed more this year than you did before? We all have plenty of things to talk to God about! How wonderful to know that our God hears and answers prayer.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” ~ 1 John 5:14-15
At Thanksgiving, can we always look back over the past nine months and say they were good? No, not in the sense we think of “good.” There were some good parts, but there were also hard, sad, disappointing, fearful parts.
But because God is good, I can trust that what He’s allowed to happen is part of His overall plan. And because God is incapable of doing anything else, His plan has to be good.
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” ~Psalm 145:17
Yes, we can give thanks in hard times. As we turn our hearts toward gratitude this Thanksgiving, let’s realize that no matter how crazy our year has been, we have much for which we can be thankful!
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Welcome to the first official Girls to Grow blog post of 2024! I hope your new year is off to a good start.
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I’ve just finished reading a great book, my first one of the new year. It came from my dad’s library and was literally falling apart. There were lots of loose pages that I had to stick back in at their right spot 🙂 I enjoyed it so much that I’ve now ordered a new copy for myself.
The book is titled Acts of God: Why Does God Allow So Much Pain? by Bob Russell with Rob Suggs. It’s kind of a reframing of the age-old question, “If God is good, why do bad things happen?” The authors follow the life of Joseph from Genesis and use the ups and downs in his life to demonstrate the truths they outline in the book.
I love this quote from the book.
Whatever season of life you’re moving through right now, God is with you. He is using this moment to prepare you for another time or another opportunity. Neither tough times nor tender ones last forever. But the purposes of God are eternal.
I think this is so fitting to consider as we’re starting a new year. We’re each in different seasons of life. You could be single, newly married, parenting small children, empty-nesting, or in your later years of life.
Below I’ve listed five tips we can use to embrace our life season, whatever it looks like, in the coming year. I’ve partnered each one with a Bible verse for us to consider.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ~Ecclesiastes 3:1
You probably know how the rest of that passage goes. A time to be born, a time to die. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance, and so on.
Whatever season we’re in, there are good parts about it. I’m in the empty-nest season. I love having a lot of time for my husband and me to do things together. Yet there are times I miss being able to see our daughters as often as I did when they lived at home. But I’m so happy that they are thriving in the places God has them for now.
It’s okay to sit in those conflicting emotions. Acknowledge the difficulties, count the blessings, and see how God will work where you are.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ~ Hebrews 13:5
That’s a promise. It doesn’t matter if you feel like God is with you where you are or not. He is there.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. ~Jeremiah 29:11
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: ~Philippians 1:6
What a blessing to realize that God has a plan! He’s not randomly directing our lives based on a whim.
Whether it’s a blessing or a trial, each one is sent to teach us something about God and how he works. We won’t be ready for the next opportunity if we’re not learning from the situation God has us in now.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. ~2 Corinthians 4:17-18
We see the here and now. He sees forever. What God is accomplishing in this season is for our good and his glory here, but also with a long-term focus that we may not understand.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; ~Philippians 2:13-15
I may not always like God’s plan; I’m pretty fond of my own, and they may not always match up. I might want things to happen faster or play out differently. But I’m called to have faith, to trust God no matter what.
I hope that these tips will help all of us move into this year with peace and contentment.
I’d love to hear something you’re currently loving in the life season you’re in! Let me know in the comments or click on the “Contact Me” tab at the top of the blog and send me an email.
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This is the time of year when I start to think about preparing my heart for the Christmas season. Yes, I’ve already started shopping for gifts and adding our Christmas parties and activities to my calendar. But I want to make sure I also look for ways to stay spiritually focused on Christ’s birth in the middle of the busyness of the season.
Here are ten resources that I’ve used – or, in the case of a few of them, wish I had used! – to keep Christmas centered around Christ and his birth.
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I would have loved to use this with our daughters! We had a very simple Advent calendar that we did each year (it involved chocolate 😉 but this one is so cute yet meaningful.
This will be my third year reading through this book as part of my Bible time during the month of December. The chapters are short but meaningful.
I’ve read other books of hymn histories by this author, and this one would be great to read on your own or together as a family.
We had several of the Fisher-Price Little People sets when our girls were young, but never this one. Looking back, it would have been a great gift for their first or second Christmas. These sets last for a long time and can be passed down from child to child.
We read through this advent devotional as a family one year. Along with studying the names of Jesus, suggested projects and activities are also included. (Click here to read my in-depth review of this book.)
This series just came out last year so I haven’t used it yet. However, I like a lot of Annie’s stuff and hope to use this product in the future.
Our girls were huge Adventures in Odyssey fans for years! These audio CDs (or digital download) are great to listen to in the car or before bedtime.
Our girls also enjoyed Patch the Pirate recordings, and we owned this one. You can choose an audio cd or streaming format.
The Piano Guys have some of our favorite instrumental arrangements, and this recording is lovely to have on in the background this time of year.
We still watch this classic every year as a family!
A great way to begin the Christmas season is by spending the next few weeks in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving for the many blessings God has given us. Then we can move forward with our hearts and minds ready to celebrate the greatest gift ever given, God’s Son sent to redeem us.
If you have any Advent or Christmas resources that you love for 2024, please share them in the comments!
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I’ve always been a reader. I remember reading classic series like the Little House on the Prairie books and Anne of Green Gables when I was young.
Through most of my teens and twenties, I read mainly fiction. Once I became a mom, I got into parenting books and other non-fiction.
My tastes have definitely changed over the years. I used to read lots of historical fiction, then moved on to mysteries. Legal-themed mysteries have been a more recent choice, but I never developed a taste for sci-fi or fantasy. These days I try to keep a balance between fiction and non-fiction – and memoirs are a current favorite.
Today I’m sharing with you ten of my favorite Christian fiction series. It’s mostly a mix of mysteries and contemporary stories. Some of these I first read many years ago – and now I’m inspired to go back and re-read them!
Where one link wasn’t available for the entire series, I’ve shared a link to the first book.
Amazon affiliate links are included below. I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Kristy Cambron is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books. All three books in this series are split-time romances (basically two cohesive plot lines, one set in the past and one in the present) and revolve around castles. But they’re definitely not all about royalty as you might think.
How I wish there were more than three books in this series! I read them years ago and have re-read them at least once. Our older daughter has enjoyed reading these, too. Also, the titles of the books are very clever.
I read this series quite a while ago. It’s another set that my older daughter and I both enjoyed. They’re called “romantic suspense novels” and follow different members of the O’Malley family, all of whom have interesting careers.
This three-book series is set in a small town with memorable characters and just enough suspense to keep readers interested.
Now we get to a series that’s just sweet stories without a lot of mystery. Another one that I’d definitely want to read more of!
Each of these three books chronicles what’s happening with one of three sisters. Just nice, contemporary romances!
These are also modern romances. All three of the books deal with food – a supper club, a cafe, and a coffee shop.
Set in Scotland and London, these three books document the lives of different members of the MacDonald family.
There are a lot of Baxter Family books. Somehow I started with the sixth book, Fame, and read through Sunset, which is book 14. I don’t think I ever went back and read the first five books. I did read a couple of the later ones, but the original group I read was the best.
Rachel Hauck has written a number of books. I’ve read several of them, but especially enjoyed this series.
Let me know if you’ve enjoyed any of these series or drop a note in the comments if you have a series to recommend!
Have you ever thrown yourself a pity party?
I was curious to see if there was an actual definition for “pity party” and, of course, there is. Dictionary.com says it’s “an instance of feeling self-indulgently sorry for yourself.” In the story that I’m sharing below, I’d say that sounds about right.
A few weekends ago, I was struggling. I was emotional and discouraged and questioning God about some things. We can call it a full-blown pity party and the sad thing was, I just wanted to stay at the party.
As I look back on it now, I can recognize who my guests were at the party.
Instead of counting my blessings, as the hymn says, I was observing things I didn’t have that I wanted. That mindset will never get us anywhere good.
As is often the case for me, pride was at the root of my struggle. I wanted what I wanted…but that wasn’t necessarily what God wanted for me.
I chose to ignore truth and listen to the lies of Satan.
I knew that the thoughts running through my head were not based on Scripture. Rather I was allowing my emotions to dominate my thinking.
This particular pity party lasted much longer than it should have. I was comfortable with those guests and they were having a good time.
Then slowly but surely, truth slipped in. As I allowed what I knew about God through His Word to seep into my mind, the lies and the pride and the ingratitude had to find a new place to hang out.
So what truths made the difference?
In fact that Sunday morning our Pastor preached a sermon from Psalm 139. And do you know what verse jumped off the page at me?
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! [Verse 17]
When I wanted to think that God didn’t love me or had forgotten about me, here came those words. In the midst of my doubts, He sent reassurance from His Word.
When I think back to how stubborn I was being, I’m ashamed. But thank God for His forgiveness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9
God is faithful to forgive our sins. That means He’ll do it every time when we confess them.
God’s mercy and grace are unexplainable. If my child had reacted to me the way that I did to God in this circumstance, I might want to make them earn their way back into my favor.
But throughout the following week, I knew God was blessing me in different ways. I’m unworthy, but He continues to demonstrate His grace.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ~James 1:17
Was that the last pity party I’ll host? Probably not. But I hope the next one’s much shorter. I hope I’ll recognize it for what it is and kick those guests to the curb before they have time to get comfortable.
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Hello and welcome to the blog today!
Has it been unseasonably cool where you are? While we’ve had beautiful sunshine this week, it’s been breezy and definitely not our typical warm May temperatures. But I know that the heat and humidity of summer are on the way, so I’m not complaining!
I know those of you reading are of various ages and in many different stages of life. For some, turning 80 years old is a very distant possibility. For others, it’s just around the corner.
Each of us also has responsibilities each day, whether it’s working a job, mothering full-time, being a caregiver, or a host of other things. I was thinking the other day that of all the things we do, the duties we perform, which ones will matter when I get older? Assuming that the Lord allows me a normal lifespan, what will I be glad that I did?
I hope I can be like those who are referenced in Psalm 92:13-14
“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;” ~Psalm 92:13-14
No matter what your age today, if God gives us 80 or more years to live on this earth, here are eight things that I think will matter to us.
I hope we all desire to be 80-year-old Christian women who are strong in their faith. That means we need to have a spiritual focus today. Time spent in Bible study and prayer is never wasted. Building our lives around these things produces eternal results.
There will come a point where we’re not able to do all that we did when we were younger. But what a blessing to be able to look back and thank God for ways in which we were able to serve Him and for souls we saw saved.
It doesn’t have to be what many would consider “big” things. It could be working in the church nursery, taking a meal to a sick friend, or praying with a co-worker. What will matter is that we were able to impact people for eternity.
“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” ~Psalm 90:10, 12
I can certainly see where I fall short here. There are certainly times we need to rest and relax. But I know that it’s easy for me to waste time, to let it pass by frivolously. That’s where having a schedule or at least a routine of some sort helps me to better manage my time.
These are the people you’re often with 24/7. They know all about you. As we get older and are separated by distance or even just our busy lives, we always want them to know that they are loved.
Here’s a practical one for you! I’ve heard money teacher Dave Ramsey say that money is just a tool that gives you choices. If you’ve not saved much, your choices are more limited. If you’ve got more financial reserves, you have more choices for your lifestyle. It may mean sacrificing a few things now to have more security later.
Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.“
This one’s not easy for me as I’m rather risk-averse. But I hope that I’ll follow God’s leading and be willing to step out into new adventures.
What a blessing to have long-lasting friendships! So invite someone over to your house, ask a friend to meet for coffee, text that person from church and let them know you’re praying for them.
Is it reading a book, playing golf, doing crossword puzzles, hiking, or cross-stitching? Find hobbies you enjoy and make time for them.
Do you know what we can be sure of? That just as God is present and active in our lives today, He’ll be the same when we’re 80, 90, or 100 years old!
“And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” ~Isaiah 46:4
Which of these will you work on today? And if you’ve already hit that 80-year milestone, please tell us if these things matter to you!
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Welcome to the first blog post of March 2022! The weather here is warming up and I’m already noticing a few weeds poking through the grass in the yard here at our new house. I’m not someone who enjoys yard work, so it’s a good thing my husband likes getting out there! It will be fun to see what he does with the landscaping as we get into spring and summer.
No matter what stage of life you’re in – single, newlywed, parenting young children, or the empty nest – as Christians, our goal can always be to have a Godly home. We influence the people who live there as well as those who visit. So how do we start thinking about cultivating a Christ-centered home?
You’re likely familiar with Joshua 24:15. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
It’s a choice. In this passage, Joshua lays out the options for the children of Israel and tells them to make a decision. And then he makes it clear to them what his choice will be. In the same way, we can commit to doing the best job that we can to have a Godly focus in our homes.
So once we make that decision, what’s next? How might we put that into practice? Here are five things we can do to have a Christ-centered home.
This starts with us individually spending time in our Bible. Then it can extend to having a family Bible time. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out, but find a few minutes in the day – maybe before or after a meal, or at bedtime – when everyone can gather to read and talk about a Scripture verse and pray.
As you’re working around the house, you can play Christian podcasts or listen to sermons online. If your child is memorizing Bible verses for a kids’ program at church, work on that together. Talk through what the verse means and how it might apply to their lives.
If your child comes home from school talking about an issue with a teacher or a friend, what’s your first response? Mine was usually to find out the details and decide if I needed to intervene in any way.
You know what would have been the best first step? To pray about it. Just right then and there. Pray for whoever else was involved, pray for your child, pray for wisdom on how to deal with the situation.
That’s just one example, but in so many issues that arise in our homes, prayer is the best first response. There may be other actions we need to take, but taking it to God first can give us peace and direction.
We have an Amazon Echo in our living area, so it’s easy to ask Alexa to play a playlist for us – and it’s still not something I do regularly enough! You could also make singing part of your family Bible time. Sing a hymn or a chorus – and if someone plays an instrument and can accompany the family, even better!
It’s usually a lot easier to correct or discipline our kids for actions instead of attitudes. It can take more time to drill down into a bad attitude and figure out what’s really going on in your child’s heart.
We want to encourage our children to be grateful, considerate of other family members, full of joy, and so much more. As my dad always said, “Attitude is everything.” Get that right, and the actions will tend to correct themselves.
Whether it’s around the supper table, sitting on their bed at night, or riding in the car, be approachable. Don’t shut down when they bring up certain topics. You may need to tailor your answers based on what’s age-appropriate. But help your kids feel comfortable talking about anything from spiritual questions to friend breakups to something strange that they heard about from kids at school.
As these conversations come up, use principles you know from God’s Word to guide the discussion. Help your children see that no matter what they’re up against, they can find help, encouragement, and guidance from Bible principles.
I’ll confess that I’m convicted about doing better in all of these areas! May each of us ask God to show us how we can have homes that bring honor and glory to Him.
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