Laying the Groundwork for Effective Teaching {Strengthening Your Spiritual Life So You Can Help Your Kids}

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts of them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”  Matthew 7:24-25

Welcome back to The Busy Mom’s Guide to Teaching Character series! We talked first about the most essential thing we need to understand about what teaching character really means and now we’re going to lay the foundation for effective training and teaching.

I often search my favorite blogs or Pinterest for Biblical tips for successful parenting and guiding my children’s character. In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to the topic! Finding helpful resources that are based on the Word of God is incredibly important {in fact, I’m going to share a huge list of these resources on day five of this series!}, but my efforts for my children aren’t backed up by something even more important: my own spiritual life.

As we are teaching our children, let’s saturate our lives with the living Word of God! This will become the ultimate source of inspiration for all character training! Here are some tips for arming ourselves with this essential tool.

• Pray, pray, pray! Prayer is transforming communion with God. We have the privilege of going to Him in prayer so He can work through our lives for His glory and we in turn can grow in wisdom and knowledge {Proverbs 2:10-11}. We can pray for our child’s heart to be opened and for our own spiritual growth as well in this process of guiding our children’s character. Here are some tips for strengthening your prayer life!

• Read the Bible. This comes in many forms of course, from reading straight verses on our own to following along with a Bible study or commentary to help us understand the Scriptures we are reading. But any time spent in God’s Word, even if it’s with your children playing around you or coloring at the table next to you, will accomplish it’s purpose {Isaiah 55:10-11}. Don’t know where to start or restart? I’ll be sharing LOTS of resources and tips in Friday’s post!

• Surround Yourself with Christian Influences. Talking to a “Titus 2 mentor” {older Christian women with wisdom}, listening to Christian radio podcasts and reading theologically sound devotionals {I’m not talking about the “best life now” type of fluff–sorry, Joel Osteen} and having uplifting friends all contribute to your spiritual growth. My friend Meagan always has a Christian music station playing in her home–something I often forget about but is so beneficial! Another friend of mine meets with an older homeschooling mom in her church to glean wisdom and understanding. Right now I’m a part of an online Bible study group that  takes only a minute of my time to check in each morning.Truth be told, your relationship with God is the most important, so don’t feel bad if you don’t always have time to spend with other Christian women! Through the many resources we have at our fingertips, our time in our home or on the ride to work can be redeemed to empower us with the courage and knowledge we need to teach our children!

• Do devotions with your family. This practice will vary based on your family dynamics and situation, but this is the best foundation for all other spiritual teaching in your home. As you grow in your understanding of the Scriptures, you will be surprised how much easier it is to address character training situations that arise. You can read some simple tips for starting {or restarting!} devotions with your family that I shared last spring!

Tomorrow, we’re going to begin tackling some of the practical aspects of this series, including the best time of day to do devotions, specific things that can hinder your character training efforts and tips for teaching character in life’s everyday moments.

What tips to you have for strengthening your spiritual life?

Be sure to check out the other ladies taking part in the intentional living series {which this series is a part of!}. There are some wonderful topics being shared! Find the list of blogs and post topics here: 5 Days of Living Intentionally.