childidentitythef

Today’s children live in a morally ambiguous society where “openness” and “tolerance” are common mantras. The end result is that many children follow the crowd and often end up doing what feels good while eventually leaving God out of their lives.

WHAT WILL BE YOUR CHILD’S IDENTITY?

diskpropertiesTo solve this problem, we need to understand that your child’s core identity is like the firmware of a computer.

  1. The hardware of your computer is the physical machine that you can carry. Likewise, your child’s physical body is their hardware.
  2. The software of your computer includes programs like Quicken, Word, and Google. Likewise, the software in your child is all the “programming” that gets put inside their brains.
  3. The firmware of your computer is the core operating system that allows your computer to add (or not add) more software.
    1. You can erase your entire hard drive but your firmware remains unmovable.
    2. Likewise, when your child has a solid foundation with God – they will not allow bad ideas and evil influences to enter their minds because their firmware will not allow it.

Our CORE identity is the essence of who you are, what is important to you, and describes what you stand for and what you are passionate about. When God is our core firmware, we stay centered. When I was a kid my school had a merry-go-round and we played a game of spinning it as fast as we could – in an effort to throw the riders off. I remember that the best position to be in was directly in the center.

When I would stand in the center of that merry-go-round I was not afraid of falling off! In the same way, when our children are centered with God, they won’t fall when society, amoral ambiguity or circumstances tries to throw them to the ground.

What will be CORE for your children?

videoskinaIf we don’t help our children to know, love and want God in their lives – so he is their core… Then I have to ask you… Who or what will be their CORE – their firmware – their identity? Who will they grow up to rely on? (Self, money, job)? When they are making choices in life, how will they choose? When life is prosperous, will they be thankful or be filled with arrogance? In times of trouble, who will see them through?

We can activate God’s love inside our children’s core identity in several ways:

  1. Lead by example:
    • Let your children see you praying
    • Pray with your children
    • Let them see you reading your Bible
  2. Help your children know that God is important to you
    • Talk to them about God
    • Talk about your struggles and desires to live a life a faith
    • Make the mystery of God more of a reality in their lives
      1. Have conversations about abstract ideas such as love, electricity and the weather. Explain how all of these are very real – yet you cannot fully see or explain them. In other words – there are wonderful “mysteries” in life.
      2. Explain how your faith has grown by talking about your life’s events. Your children will learn more about you and what is important to you
  3. Surround them with good examples – while you have the opportunity
    • You control their environment
      1. If you value fishing, your child will grow up to be a fisherman
      2. If you value sports, most likely your kid will grow up and play sports
      3. If you yell, your kids will grow up and yell back at you
      4. If you teach your children about forgiveness, they will learn to forgive you when you make a mistake.
      5. Whatever you give out to your little kids – that’s what you will get back from them when they are older
  4. Read Christian children’s books and listen to Christian children’s songs – together.
    • You control their environment
      1. When you read a bedtime story for kids that helps them grow in their faith, you are presented with a powerful bonding opportunity.
      2. Christian stories for little kids portray values that are different than other books, what they will see on TV or hear at school.
      3. There are many Christian songs for children that are lively, upbeat and fun that still offer value messages that go way beyond secular music.
      4. Christian music for children reaches children in ways that written or spoken words cannot.

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