My mom sent me this excellent article regarding raising pagan children.... without even knowing it. It really resonated with me and has sat on my heart, lingered in my mind, and pinched the tip of my tongue since I read it. I've had it all wrong since becoming a mother and am hell bent.... excuse my language.... on fixing it....NOW. I have encouraged, pleaded, and made my children obey and make good choices "because the Bible says to" and "because it makes Jesus happy" and "because that's what you do if you are a Christian." Eeeeek..... do those motivations keep me turning to Christ? No, unfortunately they might even frighten me. I would dare to say I am embarrassed by the Christians who beg our society to "behave" for those same reasons.
But I'll tell you what motivates me- Christ's love and grace. That I am never going to be "good" without Him. I know that I wake up and need Him, crave Him- or else I will have a loss of a day. I want my kids to know that kind of love and dependence and they learn it from yours truly. I have to model this daily. I have to model asking for forgiveness and grace and mercy in front of my girls. {Talk about being broken.... in front of an audience} I have to model welcoming the Spirit into my heart to guide me and equip me with those wonderful fruits to be able to be Christ-like in a pagan world. I want my kids to grow up and be an example of Christ's love and joy to others that they meet rather than a recording of Biblical laws and rules.
So I asked myself the real question- what can I do to provide opportunities to be joyful and loving rather than having a fire and brimstone sort of life? I can be joyful when we bake together.....and half the flour is spilled all over the table and our birthday cookies turn to crisp. I can allow them to love on each other and help each other.... even when it takes so much longer than me helping. I can provide opportunity encourage friends, teachers, and ministers through cards and hugs. I can show them how we clean out our gently used items for fire victims in our community.... even when this is a taxing project with miniture pack rats who throw fits to see their hardly ever used things given away. I can let them be the light and smiles with elderly, even their great grandparents. And I can give them the reason why..... not because the Bible says so..... but because that is how He loves us. And the most promising part, when we miss an opportunity to be joyful and loving Christ's grace is enough to wipe that slate clean and try again.
It's my goal, my heart's most strongest desire to never again use the Bible or my own Jesus as a scare tactic to motivate obedience from my girls. But rather teach them that our only need is for His love and grace, because without Him we can never be "good."
