Tag: God

4 Ways to be a Glowing Example to your Kids and Grandkids

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Little eyes are always learning. In fact, they often learn faster and quicker than little ears. We can try to teach life lessons through our wonderful words of wisdom, but if our children aren’t seeing it in real-time as they observe our lives, the lesson is often lost. “Do as I say, not as I do,” just doesn’t fly.

My grandpa Sandy was a wonderful example to me. His resourcefulness, wisdom, and kind demeanor made me want to live up to his standards. Although he lived hundreds of miles away, he was still a light and an influence to me whenever we were together. So what are some practical ways to set a glowing example as parents or grandparents? Allow me to offer several simple thoughts:

  • Let them see you being Kind and respectful toward others. Make a genuine and sincere effort to be thoughtful to everyone you encounter, from waitstaff to cashiers to neighbors. As our children observe our kindness in action, they will learn one of life’s most valuable lessons.
  • Let them see how you handle a challenge or a crisis. If we hope to raise resilient kids, then we must demonstrate how to face difficulties with wisdom, peace, and fortitude.  One of the greatest actions we can show our kids is how to handle the ups and downs of life. When we pray for God’s help in the midst of frustrations or heartaches, we are helping them learn to seek God’s guidance through life’s storms.
  • Let them see you apologize. Let’s be honest, we don’t always get it right. We rarely respond exactly as we want. There are times when we must ask for forgiveness. Just because we are older doesn’t mean we are perfect. When we apologize, we teach our children humility, forgiveness, and how to say I’m sorry.
  • Let them see you laugh. Find joy in life and share it with others. Smile often. Play games, tell jokes, read silly books, and go to fun places. Help your kids learn to enjoy life as you share a hearty dose of happiness from your own example.  

Sometimes the way up is down. Not too long ago, I read a book called Humility, in which author Andrew Murray reminds us that true humility comes from recognizing our complete dependence on the Lord. We can’t even be humble on our own – we need the humility of Christ, which comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, let’s begin our journey to being a great example for the next generation by humbly asking the Lord to help us. We can’t do this on our own.

Photo by Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash

The Power of a Positive Grandparent

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“There are no perfect parents.” Over the years, I’ve often used these words to reassure young moms and dads as they face the ups and downs of raising a family. Now that I am a grandparent, I wish I were flawless, but I’m far from it. What I can offer my precious grands is a little wisdom based on life experiences, a little more relaxed time to spend together, and a whole lot of grace-filled love. 

As a slightly imperfect, yet completely enthusiastic grandmother (Kay Kay), I want to share some positive principles we can apply to the sweet spot years of grandparenting. Whether you are near or far from your grandkids, you can have a positive impact on their lives. Over the next few weeks, I plan to share a few practical principles from my heart to yours.

Join me here on this blog as we cover:

The Power of Encouragement – speaking life-giving words into their hearts

The power of Example –  living the lessons we want them to learn

The Power of Listening – paying attention to what they say and what they don’t say

The Power of Laughter – creating fun and delight

The Power of Being Intentional – passing on values and Biblical truths

The Power of Prayer – going to the Father on their behalf

The Power of Presence – letting them know you are there for them

If you are like me, you desire to create a legacy and have a positive impact on the next generation. Let’s journey together over the next few weeks as I unpack each of these principles and offer doable tips to help us be the best grandparents God has made us to be.

Father, I thank you for the joy and privilege of impacting the next generation. Lord, I ask that you would give us direction and guidance in loving and leading our grandkids well. May you use our words, our actions, and our example to point them toward you. Be with our grandkids and surround them with your care mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Hope, Help and a Prayer for the Hill Country

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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18

Our hearts are grieving for those who have lost loved ones in the horrific disaster that happened along the Guadalupe River this past weekend. As we sort through the thoughts, feelings, and details of these events, I want to offer a prayer, a word of comfort, and ways we can help.

First, we must not dismiss the power of prayer or take it lightly. We have the privilege of going to our compassionate Heavenly Father and taking our hurts, cares, confusion, and requests to Him. I want to encourage you to set aside some time alone with Him to grieve and cry, and also ask for God’s comfort for all the families affected. The Bible tells us that God provides a “peace that passes all understanding.” He wraps His loving arms around us in times like these in ways that are beyond our comprehension. He is the God of comfort and knows how to meet us at our point of greatest need. Join me in prayer:

Father, our hearts are heavy with the loss of so many innocent lives. We don’t know how to comfort the hurting, but You do. Lord, we ask that you would lovingly care for and help the families we know personally, as well as all the ones throughout our state who are hurting from this loss. Lord, provide the loving arms that we are not able to provide right now. Heal their heart-wounds as only you can do over time. Help them find their hope and solace in you. Please be with the rescue efforts and help them to find all who are lost. We thank you for those who were rescued, and we ask for more miracles along the way. Lord, show us how we can help and serve, in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Secondly, a word of comfort. God is with us in our darkest hour. In death, He lovingly ushers His children into His presence. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” That deliverance is not from every bad circumstance here on earth – that deliverance is into His presence when we die. It is hard to understand why God may allow some to go to their Heavenly home early, but we do know that He lovingly ushers His beloved there. And they would not want to come back! We grieve the loss of their lives here, but His precious children are more alive than ever in His presence.

Times like these remind us of the brevity of life on this earth and spur us on to care for those around us with a deep and sincere love. We also begin to think of the reality of eternity and the joy of Heaven, which Jesus provides. Still, the sadness and grief on this earth are real, and we should not ignore the pain that they bring. May we live each day with an eternal perspective and yet a sensitivity to the heartaches of this world, knowing that this is not our final destination.

Finally, what can we do to help those who are in need?

Southern Oaks Church in Kerrville is accepting a variety of donations to support flood relief. Here’s their link:  https://southernoakschurch.com/

Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country created the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund that supports relief and rebuilding efforts. The Community Foundation will direct funds to vetted organizations providing assistance in Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, and Comfort. Here’s the link to donate: https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201

And for those of you who know someone who has personally lost a loved one, ask the Lord for guidance and direction in how you can specifically help. Find out if they are taking food (or if a food train has been established) and bring them a meal. Sometimes I give a comfort basket with comforting items such as a journal, tea, mug, blanket, chocolates, etc. I encourage you to send a note or card as well. Don’t say too much – simply say you love them and are available to them. Our tendency sometimes is to try to explain why God allowed this or cheer them up, but we need to let them grieve and let them know we are thinking of them and care about them. Most importantly, they need to know you are there for them now and in the days to come. They will have a long journey of recovery.

Let us remain prayerful for our fellow Texans and seek God’s direction on how to love and help those who are hurting.

The Month of Mom

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Motherhood – it’s the toughest job you’ve ever loved! Through both the joys and the hardships, your words, actions, and example speak volumes into the lives of those you love. In this springtime of the year, I want to encourage you to think about the seeds you are planting into the soft and fertile soil of your children’s minds and hearts.

Whether you are a mom, grandmom, aunt, or teacher, here are some tips to help you think about making a positive impact for generations to come.

Speak Words of Truth – In a world full of misinformation, our young people are hungry for what is real and true. Wisdom from the Bible offers a firm foundation to feed the mind and spirit. We can choose deliberate times throughout our week to teach our kids spiritual truths from God’s word and plant seeds of hope, faith, and peace in their hearts.  Children’s devotionals and Bibles offer great resources for intentionally building an understanding of God’s love.

Use Teachable Moments – Opportunities to teach, train, and discipline occur spontaneously throughout each day, but we have to be looking for them. Disappointments or frustrations can become opportunities to ask God for peace and direction. A beautiful day, a trip to the zoo, a walk on the beach, a view of the stars – all offer joyful ways to point to the Creator of all things. Let’s grab these moments to gently point upward and invite our kids to see something bigger than themselves.

Remember the Power of Your Example – Our kids learn best, not from the words that come from our mouths but from the life lessons they observe in our actions. Our example shouts loudly and teaches our kids how to act and how to live. What positive principles does your life teach? Is it kindness, hope, and trust in God? Or is it anger, resentment, and constant frustration? It’s good to ponder what we are portraying.

As you can see, we have a powerful influence. Let’s be intentional about relaying positive messages and life lessons to the young ones in our lives. I am convinced that the only way I can be a good example and speak words of wisdom is to seek the Lord’s help each day. Every morning, I pray for His Spirit to flow through me in order to love those around me with grace and sincerity.

Keep looking up and leaning on Him as you speak into the next generation through your words and actions.

 Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash

For more positive encouragement check out Karol’s book, The Power of a Positive Mom

The Journey from Palm Sunday to Redemption

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How fickle the crowds were. How fickle I can be. The crowds adored Him on Palm Sunday, and by Friday, they were yelling, “Crucify Him!”  Yet, in my own life, it is easy to praise Him when things go well, and become angry when life goes sour. What I so easily forget is that God has a plan, and sometimes it includes hard things.

Hundreds of years before Jesus entered humanity in a trough cradle, the prophet Isaiah spoke about the Messiah’s purpose and His sorrows:

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:1-6, NIV)

Clearly, God had an intentional plan from the very beginning. A plan to rescue and redeem humanity. A plan of forgiveness for all who believe. Christ’s death wasn’t a mistake or an afterthought, it was a Good Plan. In fact, later in this same passage, Isaiah reassured God’s people:

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins. (Isaiah 53:10,11, NLT)

God’s good plan included both pain and victory. Jesus’ death on the cross was deliberate and purposeful. Because He loves us, He gave His life on our behalf. Our response is to believe and to trust Him.

This Holy week, as we observe His loving and ultimate sacrifice, let us fall to our knees in worship and thanksgiving. Let us proclaim this good news to all who will hear. And let us recognize that God has a good plan, not only for humanity, but for our lives personally. He can redeem even our biggest troubles.

Reflective questions:

In what area of your life do you need to trust God’s good plan for you?

Do you believe Jesus gave His life on your behalf?