Virtues to Pray for Your Children
1. Salvation — "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)
2. Growth in Grace — "I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)
3. Love — "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them." (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)
4. Honesty and Integrity — "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection." (Ps. 25:21)
5. Self-Control — "Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do."
(1 Thess. 5:6)
6. Love for God's Word — "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Ps. 19:10)
7. Justice — "God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)
8. Mercy — "May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
9. Respect (for self, others, and authority) — "Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands." (1 Pet. 2:17)
10. Biblical Self-Esteem — "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:10)
11. Faithfulness — "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts." (Prov. 3:3)
12. Courage — "May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)
13. Purity — "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." (Ps. 51:10)
14. Kindness — "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thess. 5:15)
15. Generosity — "Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age." (1 Tim. 6:18-19)
16. Peace-Loving — "Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19)
17. Joy — "May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." (1 Thes. 1:6)
18. Perseverance — "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." (Heb. 12:1)
19. Humility — "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all." (Titus 3:2)
20. Compassion — "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion." (Col. 3:12)
21. Responsibility — "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load." (Gal. 6:5)
22. Contentment — "Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." (Phil. 4:12-13)
23. Faith — "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them." (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)
24. A Servant's Heart — "God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph. 6:7)
25. Hope — "May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)
26. Willingness and Ability to Work — "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23)
27. Passion for God — "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8)
28. Self-Discipline — "Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair." (Prov. 1:3)
29. Prayerfulness — "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers." (1 Thess. 5:17)
30. Gratitude — "Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)
31. A Heart for Missions — "Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples." (Ps. 96:3)
Teach Your Children to Pray
When it comes to teaching children about prayer, I get excited, because if they can grasp this simple truth early enough in life, they will most likely grow up enjoying a fulfilling relationship with God and a satisfying prayer life. Think about it, most kids will talk openly and honestly about almost anything. This is how we can teach them to pray -- openly, honestly, about anything that's on their mind.
As a mother and grandmother, I think kids just need to understand the simplicity of prayer. It's asking God for what we need and believing He will do the best thing for us. It's talking to Him about people we care about, asking Him to help them. Prayer is asking God how to handle a problem we have and doing what He puts in our heart to do. They need to know they can tell God anything at all because He loves them no matter what. They need to realize they can talk to God like they would talk to their very best friend.
So much of the time, kids are taught the way to pray and not simply to do it. They may learn to kneel, to bow their heads, or fold their hands. They might learn certain words to say or to recite a special Bible verse. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of that. But, while I believe it is very important to teach our children to pray, I think maybe we need to toss out the "rule book" and teach them to do what they do naturally and talk to God.
Teach them they can kneel or stand to pray. They can say loud or quiet prayers, or they can say long or short prayers. They learn that they can pray any way, anywhere, anytime.
I believe this is so important for children to understand. They can talk to God any way -- just be themselves with God. They can talk to Him anywhere -- at church as well as home or even on the playground. And they can talk to God anytime -- because He loves them and He is never ever too busy for them.
And you know something that's really amazing? The way we teach our kids to pray is exactly the same way we can pray! In Mark 10:14 (NIV), Jesus told His disciples, "Let the little children come to me ... for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
You might be wondering, such as who? Well, I believe adults can learn a lot from some of the characteristics of children when it comes to prayer. Children have strong faith; they trust easily -- especially their parents. We can trust our heavenly Father like that. Children are transparent -- they just "keep it real." In the same way, we can talk to God without all the "thees" and "thous." And children are resilient -- they will fight, forgive and play again tomorrow. Our "fight of faith" may be a little more complicated, but we can make it with God's help.
The main thing we need to understand is (and don't underestimate a child's ability to grasp this), it's not the length or the eloquence or the posture of our prayer that matters to God. It's the sincerity of our heart. He doesn't expect us all to pray the same way -- He just wants to communicate and fellowship with us.
So, throw out the rule book and simply teach them to talk to God -- any way, anywhere, anytime about anything.
~ God Bless the Children ~
Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy; they didn't know what to say.
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
“where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
“This is heaven" declared a small boy. "We’re spending Christmas at God's house”.
When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
And as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad.
“then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe,
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
“Let My power and presence re-enter this land!
“May this country be delivered from the hands of fools”
“I’m taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!
“Then He and the children stood up without a sound.
“Come now my children let me show you around.
“Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
“in the midst of this darkness,” I AM STILL THE LIGHT."
~author unknown~
With a heavy heart; I send up my prayers, for all of the families across this Nation that have lost a child at the hands of another.
God Bless You!
“Let your beauty be found in “the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.”
1 Peter 3:4
Christian Pumpkin
I am a Jack O' Lantern
My light will shine so bright
For I am a Christian pumpkin
My symbols tell what's right.
My nose is like the cross
on which on Savior died
To set us free from sin
We need no longer hide.
My mouth is like a fish
The whole wide world to show
That Christians live in this house
And love their Savior so!
The story starts at Christmas
My eyes are like the star
That shone on Baby Jesus
And wise men saw from far
My color it is orange
Just like the big bright sun
That rose on Easter Day
Along with God's own Son.
And so on Halloween
Let's set our pumpkins out
And tell the trick or treaters
What God's love is all about!
"Pumpkin Carving Prayer"
~ childrens' activity ~
Dearest God,
As I carve my pumpkin,
Open my mind so I can learn about You;
(Cut the top of the pumpkin)
Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do;
(Clean out the inside)
Open my eyes so Your Love I will see;
(Cut eyes shaped like hearts)
I'm sorry for turning up my nose to anything You have given me;
(Cut a nose in the shape of the cross)
Open my ears so Your Word I will hear;
(Cut ears shaped like the Bible)
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near;
(Cut mouth in the shape of a fish)
Let Your Light shine in all I say and do! Amen.
(Place a candle and light)
My Dearest Reader,
This past week I found myself feeling rather broody which is so unlike me to feel this way. It all started with listening to the idle ~talk~ of a bunch of children waiting to catch the school bus.
With ~F~ bombs flying with every other word and the constant usage of the words "bitch, bitchy and bitches" I believe that I have finally come to the realization that as a society our mortality meter has dipped way below zero.
I do not live in a bad neighborhood. Most of these children are dressed in clothing that I am convinced probably cost their parents the equivalent of a monthly mortgage payment. And yet for all of their smashing clothes, gagingly over priced sneakers, stylish Vera purses and book-bags it is obvious to me that these children have no concept whatsoever of what it means to be respectful and respect one another. It's sad. Moreover; it is more than a little depressing when you consider that these children with their morality compasses pointed in no particular direction are the future of this country.
It use to be (and not so long ago) that when a child used inappropriate language in the presence of an adult, and you called them on it, they would at least look somewhat embarrassed. Now if you call them on their language or behavior they'll quickly tell you to go "f" yourself. Not even the courtesy of telling you to "mind your own business" which is no doubt disrespectful but preferable to a "go ~f~ yourself". Somewhere amongst the sands of time we have lost the ability to value ourselves as human beings and in doing so we have lost the ability to teach our children to value themselves and others.
I am going to hazard a guess and say that this probably began around the time that parents began to try and be their child's friend instead of being their authority figure, their mentor, their moral compass until they developed one of their own that actually worked.
Parents stopped disciplining their children with the ever swift, no nonsense, over your knee butt spankings and began utilizing the retarded methods of "time outs". It has been my experience in viewing parents practice this "time out" method that what they ended up with is a child scheming in the corner of what they were going to do next. Not pondering their misdeeds.
"The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother". Proverbs 29:15
I recall in my childhood that my Grams was lightening quick with the plastic fly swatter when one misbehaved. Being flopped with a fly swatter stung like a bee and caused one to ponder on rather misbehaving in that particular way ever again was worth the price. I also recall my Father once gave me a sharp rap across the knuckle with the handle end of a butter knife for reaching for the last dinner roll and not first asking if anyone else cared for it. These are things one does not forget. I survived these "hard" lessons and grew up understanding manners, and the proper way that one should behave as a lady.
"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him". Proverbs 22:15
As I listened to these children waiting on the school bus I wonder how they behave at home in front of their parents. I doubt that they cuss like a ~sailor~ but I am equally doubtful that they show any real degree of respect either. Children today seem to have this whole sense of entitlement thing going on. They walk around with the attitude that the world owes them something and their parents have caught the fever. Giving their children whatever they want, whenever they want it, whatever it costs. How did that come about?
I'm not saying that every child is like these I have referred to but there are enough of them for it to be a scary situation. The Bible tells us to raise our children up in the ways of the Lord and they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). They may stray away from it from time to time but it's still there inside of them and eventually they will come back to their Biblical roots.
The Bible teaches us love and compassion and forgiveness. Why aren't we teaching our children these basic things? Not only towards others but towards themselves? If you love yourself, have compassion for yourself and forgive yourself for your past transgressions how much easier is it to extend this to others?
Our society {we} need a Do Over. We need to begin at the beginning with ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and even our great-grandchildren (if you've reaches that golden time of life) and re-learn all over again basic manners, basic acceptable public (and private) behavior, basic acceptance of one another, basic language skills- in short - basic Christian values.
We need to re-learn to value ourselves as unique, wonderful creations of God in whatever package that we currently wear. Be our package tall and thin or short and plump. Then we can more easily value others in whatever package God created them in.
Yes; dear Reader, I am of the opinion that as a society we need a Do Over. And I am praying and believing that I will in my lifetime see the manifestation of this simple prayer.
It is attainable. With God; all things are possible.
“Let your beauty be found in “the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.”
1 Peter 3:4
