"I Want It Too"

I am sitting here trying to eat a little breakfast while I am blogging. I should say I am trying to eat breakfast in peace, but that is not happening.  Our two dogs are sitting here staring at me and the puppy is whining as well. It's only a breakfast bar but they think that if I have something that they should be having some of it too. Part of this is my fault because I am sitting in my favorite chair in the living room. We have them trained to be respectful and just lay down while we eat at the dining table but if we eat anywhere else they think that we are fair game.

As parents we have to be careful that we don't instill this kind of behavior in our children. "I want it too.....". We want our kids to feel like they are part of their group. We don't want them to feel different. My husband and I understand this as parents of a special needs child. We work really hard to help him feel as normal as possible. 

In this effort to have them feel normal we parents, want our kids to be involved in what others are involved in, like sports, music, dance, etc.. But we have to be real careful on how we let these things happen. God has given us the privilege to be parents. He has also given us the responsibility to watch out for their souls. To train them to be followers of our God.  When we let the things of this world come before God it sends a message that these things are more important. But what is more important than their eternal lives?

Colossians 3.......

Common English Bible (CEB)

2 Think about the things above and not things on earth.
16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.
24 You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.

Yes our kids need to be active and healthy. Yes our kids need to feel normal but our kids need Christ more. I heard a preacher say this the other day. "Are you men too chicken to make church a priority in your family's life?" Of course he's a preacher and church is his profession, but he is right. 

Just like my dogs who are trained about the dining room, what if we take a stand on training our kids about putting God first. This starts with teaching them about worship. What if they felt like they wouldn't know how to act if they missed it?

What would happen if all families did this? Might be tough at first but can you think of anything better than worshiping together as a family? Sure would make this world a less stressful place to be in. I bet crime would go way down if the the struggle of wanting to do what everyone else is doing would just go away.

It's an awesome responsibility to be a parent but when God is first, we can do it and do it well!!!

Blessings!!!