How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids - Chapter 4

I’m playing “catch-up” with my posts for the How to Have aH.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids bookclub. . . week before last I had misplaced my book so couldn’t read, much less blog about chapter 4. Then last week I didn’t have an internet connection except via my phone, and much as I love my readers, I didn’t feel like typing book reviews on my phone’s keyboard. So here we are . . .  

So, chapter 4 is the “R” in the acronym H.E.A.R.T. and stands for Release Them To God.  This is something that I, and I suspect many Christian parents, struggle with. It is soo  difficult, to remember that we are raising God’s children, for HIM. We don’t have to have all the answers, God does. . . and on that note, here are some of the quotes that stood out to me in Chapter 4:

• These kids we refer to as ours are not ours. They are His. . . . and He has assigned each child specifically to you and your family for the purpose of living and acting according to His perfect plan.
• We must therefore release them to follow God with reckless abandon and to seek His plan for their lives.
• It’s not a question of whether or not you trust your kids. The question is this: Do you trust God?
• What I have found is that when you raise kids to think of heavenly things, to consider God, to love Him, and to seek Him – well, then anything could happen.
• God wants us to experience creation as a profoundly personal expression of His love, of His desire to have a personal relationship with each of us.
• I know [my daughter] will be safer in the middle of God’s will than she would ever be living across the street, God loves her more  than I could ever possibly try.
• We need take care of our children as if they were our own while being ever mindful of the fact that, from the beginning, they were never ours to keep.
• Release them to God. They are His, and He will take great care of them.

I loved some of the practical examples in this chapter. Things I’ll be implementing in our home include:

Waking my children in the morning by saying: “What might God do today to show you His love? He loves you so much!”

During our discussions when discipline in necessary, “You know, God loves you. He has big plans for you. World-changing plans. I can hardly wait to see what He has planned. I am praying for you”

Starting conversations with my children by asking “What is God showing you lately?”

I can’t wait to see how my children respond to these questions and statements! I’m sure they’ll spark some great conversations with my chatty little girls, but I also pray they will be a stepping stone toward a closer walk with God for my children, and a good, frequent, reminder to myself to release these precious children to God daily!