I collect parenting books. It doesn’t mean I read them all. But I do collect them. Maybe it makes me feel like a better parent just owning them? Maybe I’ll learn by osmosis?
Anywhoo.
I got an email from Tommy Nelson a few weeks ago about a new parenting book. I wasn’t going to review it because I knew it would join stacks of parenting books waiting for me to finish. But the title got me: Raising Your Kids To Love the Lord. I mean, that’s it. That’s all I want to do. I don’t care about my kids’ GPA, if they make the Varsity team or have a bunch of friends. I just want them to love the Lord.
The chapter is simply about prayer. I’ve written about prayer on my blog before. I update our Facebook page with prayers every morning (well, at least as often as I can. And have you seen my photo prayers this week?!). I am all for praying for our kids. This book, however, got me thinking more about teaching our kids to pray for themselves!
The author, Dave Stone tells a story about his 8th grade daughter wanting to transfer to a different school. They discuss it and finally decide to pray about it–and let their daughter pray about it. And ultimately do whatever their daughter thought the Lord was telling her.
Whoa.
Letting an 8th grader decide on her school?! It seems insane! Their daughter took this assignment seriously and came back to her parents saying that God told her to stay at her original school. She ended up being the Class President and very influential in her school!
Stone says, “If that sounds mystical…think about Samuel…he answered God’s call, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.'” That was a sucker-punch to me (and where I started crying). We JUST read that story (in our The Story Bible) last night and the kids thought it was awesome that God was calling Samuel. I even prayed during bedtime prayers that Lydia and Asa would respond to God’s voice just as Samuel had.
So for me to read, the very next morning, about a real 8th grade example of this? To see a child actually seek the Lord, hear Him and act on it is so encouraging! Stone finished with this, “Maybe your children need to practice self-control or show kindness to a sibling. Perhaps they need courage to make wise and God-honoring choices. Teach them to pray. Trust them. Trust God. Give it a try. You’ll be amazed.”
That last paragraph put tears streaming down my cheeks. These last few days (our first week of summer vacation!) I have been so excited about just chilling with my kids–relaxing, reading, cleaning the house, going on adventures and more. Instead, these last 3 days have been FULL of whining, complaining and disobedience. I sent Lydia to her room the other day simply because I could not, for the life of me, think of the right way to discipline. I felt like she didn’t even recognize that what she had done was sin.
I had never thought to ask my kids to pray about their behavior. When Lydia needs to have self-control? When Asa needs to stop whining? When they need to stop arguing? Maybe I should stop and pray with them? Maybe lead them in a prayer to ask Jesus to help and lead them away from sinful behavior?
I’m really intrigued by this idea. I think it would help them confront their sin issues head on with prayer. I want their first response to sin (or any problem) to be to turn to the Lord anyway. Maybe this is good for those things that I just can’t seem to get through to them? The issues that I know are sin and could take over if we don’t stop them?
What do you think? Do you help your kids pray for repentance and guidance even at a young age?
I am so happy to read your post. I am a fellow collector of books and I am currently fumbling through to find a new read. I’d love to add this to my collection to read! Thank you for your inspiration!
Wow – we used to pray a lot with the kids – we have gotten away from that – think that need to be a priority again- thanks
My little one is only 15 months old, but I try to remember to stop and pray with him when he has trouble obeying. It’s usually just one little sentence: “God, please help Thomas to obey Mommy by putting his toy in the basket”. Right now, I think the practice is more to discipline myself to do it than for him, but I know the Lord will use it as he gets older.
Thanks,
Mary Beth
newlifesteward.com
Love my books – but especially love hearing my children pray – then seeing the very REAL & BIG ways that God answers their faith filled prayers. When my daughter was 7 she came to me and told me that God said she was suppose to go to India with me. I was heading out alone this time, I told her that God was certainly speaking to her, keep listening and maybe on my next trip God would inform her daddy 🙂 No doubt she kept praying…at age 12 she is on her way to South Africa with her dad now. Since that first encounter of hearing God speak to her heart she has been to India, Haiti 2 times, and Costa Rica twice. She is determined to go when she hears her Father speak!
My oldest is almost 3 and I’ve been trying to figure out ways to continue teaching her about prayer – this book seems like a great tool!
The book sounds very helpful. One of our recent learn to pray tactics with our 3 yr old is to make a photo album of pictures of people to pray for. She absolutely loves and gets it. She’s always asking to pray for just one more person. That’s the heart I love!
Sounds like a great book! Our kids have definitely learned about the power of prayer after the miraculous healing of our nephew after he was already in palliative care. But I love the idea of teaching them to pray for the everyday needs they all have.
I would really like to learn more!
This is a brilliant post. I would love to see my daughter grow some love towards the lord. I’l try and follow some of these books for that.
Glad you shared.
-Jessica
Amanda,
I was just talking about this same thing with my 5.5 yo….listening to God when you pray. Need this one!
Thanks for being open to God’s calling you!
julie
I collect parenting books too! I find that I need bits and pieces from different perspectives depending on what I’m going through. My last influential parenting book wasn’t so much spiritually focused as intensively practical from purely a training perspective. I’d love to read something from a spiritual perspective and the title certainly describes our hearts desire for our children, doesn’t it???
I would love to read this.
Prayer is powerful, what a great thing to instill in our kids. Looking forward to reading this book.
Hi Amanda,
I don’t know if I can win this book – I’m all the way over in South Africa, but nevertheless, I thought I would comment.
I love this idea of encouraging my children to pray about things. It got me thinking that I would pray as a child all the time to solve problems and that my oldest son (10 yrs) does too. I have never taught him to do it – or I don’t think I have – but he is doing it! Perhaps I’ve modeled it. Either way, I absolutely love that this author has highlighted this point. I’m going to go find out more about this book!
Take care,
Georgia 🙂
Oh, wow! I would love to read this book! Having my children learn to love the Lord…my daily prayer and greatest hope for their lives. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I enjoy your blog very much. It’s so encouraging to know that there are other mothers out there who have the same goals and values and also the same struggles! Thank you for your honest portrayal of the joys and struggles of raising up children in the name of the King.