I am a very purposed person. I’ve been that way since I can remember. It’s not that I can’t relax because I love to just chill when I’m at home (just ask Mary). I just like to be purposed with the things I apply my time and energy towards. When it comes to something of importance, then I really don’t want to leave it to chance.

One of the things I will never leave to chance is the spiritual development of my kids. I firmly believe my children will grow up serving God and knowing Him as their friend, Lord and Savior. I believe this because I am purposed to lead them on their spiritual journey.

How does that look in our house? We include things we think will grow them spiritually and remove things we think will hinder them. It sounds simple, but it takes effort.

Here’s what we include:
• A lot of prayer
o With meals
o Before bed
o When sick
o When there’s a need
• Worship – we have worship music going all the time. It’s my kid’s favorite style of music.
• Bible study – my kids have multiple children’s Bibles. They love to be read to from them.
• Devotions every night
• Spiritual conversations – we talk about how God wants us to act and what God desires for our lives. We explain why we make certain decisions based on our relationship with God.
• We have three jars: one for their money, one for tithe, and one for savings. We want them to be obedient and smart with their money.

Here’s what we remove:
• A lot of TV – we don’t allow our kids to watch a lot of TV. It’s not just because of the content but because we don’t want them to become overly stimulated and lose a desire to read, especially their Bibles. TV, videos and video games can very much pull a child’s attention away from other productive things.
• Secular music – I do not believe all secular music is sin. That said, most of it is garbage (in my opinion) and I don’t want to have to risk my kids listening to something that will confuse them. As they get older, they will be exposed more to secular music, but in this early stage of their lives, I will shield them.
• Anything none G rated. We just don’t want to risk them hearing/seeing something bad at this young age. PG stuff is just inappropriate in my opinion.

As I reflect on what we remove, I realize it’s not so much what we remove as much as it is what we keep from our kids. We are involved enough to monitor everything they take in. As they get older and are exposed to more things, I will continue to engage them in conversations so they know the truth. I can’t shield them forever nor do I want to. I see these first years of their lives as foundational. I will be purposed though as I allow more things into their lives to walk them through the process of understanding what they are seeing/hearing and what God says about it.

Mary and I have made the decision to put our children in public school. We want them to be the salt and light. In order for that to happen, we must train them. Cole already is getting exposed to things we wouldn’t prefer, but we talk about it with him so he knows how to process it. It’s working too!

I want to tell you some good (and funny) stories of the good things that this produces in our kids to encourage you. Before I do, I want to be clear…I don’t think our kids are perfect. I think they’re great kids, but they disobey, throw fits, lie, hit each other, etc. just like every other kid.

• I was getting the boys ready for bed and could not find a pacifier for Titus. We looked all over the house. As I was explaining to him the situation, I was thinking how every time I have ever lost my keys or something important, I’ve prayed and God has helped me find it. I was worried though to tell him that in case we prayed and couldn’t find it. I decided to tell him in faith. I said, “Titus, when I’ve lost something, I have prayed and God has helped me find it.” Without hesitation Titus said, “God, can you help me find my fuddy?” (Fuddy is what we call pacifiers…Cole started that when he was a baby) No sooner than Titus prayed, I moved a toy in their toy box and found a pacifier. I was so happy and said, “See, God helps us!” Titus then said quietly, “Thanks God!”
• Whenever we eat, my kids ask if they can pray. When they do, they ask God to be with people and situations where people have needs. They do so without prompting because they have heard us talk about prayer so much. If someone in our family is sick, they pray for them.
• My kid’s favorite books are their Bibles. They know the Bible stories better than most adults. The negative of this is they will correct their teachers if they tell the story wrong. I need to work on that…nobody likes it when you’re that kid…
• As I was writing this today, Mary just texted me with this message: On the way to school “Strength Will Rise” (it’s actually called “Everlasting God” but our sons call it that) was playing. I looked in the mirror and saw Titus singing with his hands raised and his dinosaur mask on. Funny & sweet!

These are just a few examples. I share them to encourage every parent to be purposed in your parenting. It’s not difficult, it just takes thought. Make sure to be the protector of your kid’s minds and hearts. It will be the greatest gift you can give them.
I want to share one last thing with you I am sure will be obvious. In order for your kids to grow up believing in God and making Him a priority, you must live a life that models it for them. No matter what you say, they will follow your actions. Make prayer, Bible study, church, serving and giving a priority in your life and it will become a priority in your kid’s lives.