It finally happened! My wife and I dropped our last child off at college and now find ourselves “empty nesters”. I must admit, it is an odd feeling. A mixture of emotions. There is excitement in knowing your children are ready to move on but also sadness in missing those you love and knowing things will never be the same.
At the same time, there are moments of reflection when you ponder, “did we do everything we could do to prepare them for this moment?”
Scripture is very clear on what we as parents should do:
“Train up a child in the way they should go”
“Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”
Teach your children what God has commanded us, “when you sit in the house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
That passage in Deuteronomy almost sounds too simple, but I have found in my life as a child and as a parent, it is profoundly true and practical. Over the last 22 years, there are three simple things my wife and I tried to do in order to keep the commandments of God before our kids:
Spend Time Together
Spending time together seems rather obvious but, unfortunately, many families are so busy, distracted, and fractured that they do not spend enough time together. How does this look?
- Eat dinner as a family
- Have open, honest, and fun conversations in the car, living rooms, bedrooms, vacations, and wherever you are as a family
- Turn off the media and play games
- Support your child’s interests and be present
Do Church Together
In our busy world, it is easy to get out of the habit of going to church. I encourage you to be committed to your local church, be together as a family, serve together in the church, and talk together through what God is teaching you through His church.
Keep God’s Word in Front of Them
It is easy to overthink how best to teach our kids the truths of God’s word. I admit, we have forced family devotions some over the years and been frustrated in the process. If you have experienced something similar, don’t get frustrated. Look for simple and intentional ways to keep God’s word in front of your kids:
- Send them to a Christ-centered school and be engaged in what God is doing through the teacher and classroom in the life of your child.
- Find time, either around the table or in natural conversations, to remind your family of biblical truth.
- As your kids get older, send a daily verse through text.
- Simply live out and speak the biblical truth that God is using to work in and through your life.
God commands us to “Go therefore into all the world, making disciples…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The beautiful thing is, we don’t have to travel far as we can be faithful to this command in our own homes. My prayer is, as we faithfully strive to make disciples, we can drop our kids off at college and know that God will finish the work that He started in the lives of our children.
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