Acting NOW for the WHEN...

(Today's guest post is from our blogging friend, Amanda, of Impress Your Kids.  She's the author of Truth in the Tinsel, the Christmas resource that we love so much!  Please make her feel welcome!)  

photo source: d sharon pruitt

  

  My husband and I were Children's Pastors at a new church in Florida. The church met in a two theater movie theater. The adults had the big auditorium and the elementary kids had the smaller one. The nursery and preschool kids were combined and set up in the conference/break room. It was a tight squeeze. But there were Toy Story posters on the wall, so we didn't even have to decorate! The church started to grow and the first place where we maxed out was, of course, in the conference/breakroom/nursery! We knew we had to do something, but what can you do? Put babies behind the popcorn counter? We started doing a little research and we found some cool portable rolling walls. We figured we could squeeze a teeny tiny room into the lobby with these walls. That teeny tiny room became our new preschool room. We bought mini fold-able picnic tables, a tv on a cart, books, games, crayons and more. I found two teachers, some preschool curriculum, made snacks and I even wrote some puppet skits about a little bunny named Clover. We set up our first week and only one little girl came to class. But we did the whole service--every bit of it, as if 50 preschoolers were there. One of the important principles to our church was, "Act NOW how you'll be forced to act WHEN." What would it be like to have a preschool class with 10 kids in it? We didn't think those ten kids would show up until we had space for them. So, we made them a class. We put effort into a class of one, but in our hearts we were seeing a class of ten. And soon, within weeks, we had 3 kids in the class. Then 4, and soon ten and more kids met in the portable classroom in the middle of the lobby of a movie theater. All because we had made room and did now what we wanted to happen later.

Now that I'm a parent, I use this same idea with my kids.

I think about what I want my kids to be like when they are older and I make room for it now... I want my kids to love to read. So, we read books all the time--before bed, in the morning when we wake up and as an activity during the day. I want them to eat healthy foods. So, we don't buy cookies, chips or even crackers. We eat veggies, nuts and fruits. I want my kids to be best friends when they are older. I want them to depend on each other, put each other first and have fun with each other. So, now I make sure they work together, play with each other and help them love each other. We don't allow brother/sister rivalry now, because we don't want to see it in the future. I want my kids to love and honor their local church body. So, we go to church every week and volunteer while we're there. Serving our church is the norm for them now and will remain so as they grow.

I'm not talking about restricting, controlling or brainwashing my kids.

I'm talking about molding my kids. About leading them to be what I believe God has for them. I want to use the fleeting years God has given me to pour in as much love and life from God's Word so when they are on their own, their first response will be what they've learned and known from God's Word. God even promises this is what will happen, "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6) Our kids won't remember every single thing we do, but if we start them off right--with the end in mind, God will help us help them. We can believe God's promise and see our children follow Him all the days of their lives! What is one way you start your kids off on the way they should go?


Amanda

	Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of two who blogs at OhAmanda.com and Impress Your Kids and is the author of Truth in the Tinsel. In her former life, Amanda was a Children’s Pastor — overseeing, organizing and developing ministry for kids in nursery through middle school, but now that she is a mom, her “skills” are used up on her kids!