Carolanne tagged me to list five things that I want my kids to know when they grow up. I think it is very important that we teach our children the Christian faith, and if we do that, we will give them much more than five things to know. Our kids always give us plenty to talk about. So with a tip of the hat to Carolanne, here is a list of five things I want my kids to know when they grow up.
1 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. I’m not naive; my kids could someday make a bad choice. In a world so full of temptations and opportunities to make mistakes, I would like my children to know that no matter what they do they are still precious in God’s sight and he will always love them and forgive them.
2 – Loving your neighbor is not an emotional thing, it is an action; it is doing not simply feeling. Each chance I get I ask my kids to look around and see what is going on around them. I ask them to notice people and how their own actions impact the lives of others.
3 – Everyone has value, everyone contributes in some way. I have always been interested in what people are doing and getting to know a little about a lot of things. Along the way I found out that the hardest jobs are those that seem so insignificant. Try collecting the trash, or even working on a road crew during construction. Try one of these jobs for a week and you will see what I mean. MOst of these people live in the margins of society yet, those who do such work are indispensable.
4 – Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. There are plenty of smart people in the world who do not have the gift of wisdom. Wise people know their limits and function within them. Wise people understand that there is always something new to be learned, and something worthwhile to pass along.
5 – The fifth thing I want our children to know is what a privilege it is for us to be their parents. As we teach our kids what it means to follow Christ and to love people, they remind us that we too are loved; by them, and by God. My wife and I do our best but we are not perfect. But for God to entrust unto us the lives of these four young people is an awesome feeling. They are our greatest blessing here on earth.
There is so much more that I hope our children know when they grow up, but these are five that I try to instill in them each and every day. So far I think we are doing a good job, but only time will tell. Now to tag five people.
Pastor David, I now you are expecting your first child, so why not take a shot at listing five things. Pastor Eric Lemonholmm, you are tagged as well, along with Pastor Eric Hullstrom, Chris, and Carolyn. Have fun and we are all looking forward to reading your blogs.
My wife smirked at me when I told her about this and said I should write “NA” since we don’t have kids. But I will participate because we hope to have kids some day
By: Eric on August 29, 2007
at 6:39 pm
Nephews? Nieces? Kids in general? Your call.
By: David on August 29, 2007
at 6:41 pm
Great answers, David.
There are way more than 5 things we want our children (and other children) to know but as you said if “we teach our children the Christian faith … we will give them much more than five things to know. ”
Thanks for doing the meme.
By: Carolanne on August 29, 2007
at 7:31 pm
I like your answers. Your kids will grow into good adults.
By: Jan on August 29, 2007
at 9:04 pm
These are wonderful. If I had had children of my own, these are the five things I would start with. very thoughtful.
By: Diane on August 29, 2007
at 10:15 pm
Thanks for tagging me and getting my head out of Greek. I loved your responses and ironically you will see that mine happen to be very similar. I will get them posted later.
By: Carolyn on August 30, 2007
at 10:19 am
Funny that I came across this today as I was writing a letter to my children about the things in life I wanted them to learn as they grow up. I’m leaving for Iraq soon with the military and although I don’t plan on dying over there, one never knows… I drafted a letter today with some inspiration from Leo and Seth and all of the things that I as a mother of three beautiful children want them to learn in life:
Here are some points in my letter to them….
Life Can Be Cruel ~
There will be people in your life who won’t be very nice. They’ll tease you because you’re different, or for no good reason at all. They might try to bully you or hurt you. There’s not much you can do about these people except to be strong, have that thick skin mommy always talked about having, learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you, who actually care about you… who make you feel good about yourself. When you find friends like this, hold on to them, treasure them, spend time with them, be kind to them… and love them. Be mentally tough kids and keep your heart open ~ this will ensure that you won’t need to fight. (not much anyway)
There will be times when you are met with disappointment instead of success. Life won’t always turn out the way you want. This is just another thing you’ll have to learn to deal with, but instead of letting these things get you down, drive on. Accept disappointment and learn to persevere, to pursue your dreams despite pitfalls. Learn to turn negatives into positives, and you’ll do much better in life. DO NOT WALLOW IN YOUR SORROWS. If you accept this philosophy now… and I mean right now… it will get you through the toughest times in your life. “Life unfolds as it should”. Say it out loud right this minute. Go ahead, say it. I don’t want you to just say the words but feel them and know them. Know that everything actually does happen for a reason, both good and bad! People say it all the time but I want you to really grasp the concept of it guys like I have. Life unfolds as it should… If you cannot figure out what the meaning is… it matters not. There is still a reason and you MUST have faith in that. There is either a lesson to be learned from the experience or an event will take place at a later time in your life BECAUSE of this situation’s occurrence… something… Please know this to be true in every single aspect of your lives. If you want to attach God to it somehow, that’s your choice. You know how I feel about that. You have all been told about God and have been left to make your own decisions about it when and if you so choose to.
You will also face heartbreak and abandonment by those you love. I hope you don’t have to face this too much, but it does happen. Again, not much you can do but to heal, and to move on with your life. Let these pains become stepping stones to better things in life, and learn to use them to make you stronger. I hope I am here to help you through these times of heartbreak asI know they can feel like the end of the world. I assure you, it is not the end of the world but I know how badly it can hurt and how lonely and desperate it can make you feel.
Be Open to Life Anyway~
Yes, you’ll find cruelty and suffering in your journey through life … but don’t let that close you to new things. Don’t retreat from life, don’t hide or shut yourself off. Be open to new things, new experiences and new people.
You might get your heart broken 10 times, but find the most wonderful person the 11th time. If you shut yourself off from love, you’ll miss out on that person, and the happiest times of your life.
You might get teased and bullied and hurt by people you meet … and then after meeting dozens of jerks, find a true friend. If you close yourself off to new people, and don’t open your heart to them, you’ll avoid pain, yes … but also lose out on meeting some incredible people, who will be there during the toughest times of your life andcreate some of the best times of your life.
You will fail many times but if you allow that to stop you from trying, you will miss out on the amazing feeling of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments. Imagine that you ALWAYS won at a game… would it be fun? You’d be bored stiff… You have to lose sometimes in order to appreciate the win guys… Failures are stepping stones to success so don’t be afraid of them or kick yourself in the ass too much over them. Embrace them, learn from them and drive on.
Life Is Not A Competition~
You will meet many people who will try to outdo you, in school, in college, at work… in life! They’ll try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, nicer clothes, cooler gadgets. To them, life is a competition ~ they have to do better than their peers to be happy. You know I didn’t raise you like that so far. We’ve never been fancy people. Here’s a secret: life isn’t a competition~ it’s a journey. If you spend that journey always trying to impress others, to outdo others, you’re wasting your journey. Instead, learn to enjoy the journey. Make it a journey of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, of love. Don’t worry about having a nicer car or house or anything material, or even a better-paying job. None of that matters a bit, and none of it will make you happier. You’ll acquire these things and then only want more. Instead, learn to be satisfied with having enough~ and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn money to buy those things … use that time doing things you love. Find your passion, and pursue it savagely if necessary. Don’t settle for a job that pays the bills. Life is way too short to waste on a job you hate.
Be Forgiving~
Always find room in your heart to forgive someone. Hate, anger and resentment are destructive and will eat away at your heart and soul. At some point you are going to need to be forgiven… you already have…. and you will need to be again. Remember how that feels and always try to put yourself in that other person’s boots. People are people and we all make mistakes. Some more than others and THAT’S OKAY! Forgive mistakes! Accept apologies! Resentment and grudges don’t do anyone good. Forgiveness will set you free from the bonds of those feelings so practice it early and and often as possible.
Love Should Be Your Rule~
If there’s a single word you should live your life by, it should be this: Love. It might sound corny, I know … but trust me, there’s no better rule in life. Some would live by the rule of success. Their lives will be stressful, unhappy and shallow. Others would live by the rule of selfishness ~ putting their needs above those of others. They will live lonely lives, and will also be unhappy. Still others will live by the rule of righteousness~ trying to show the right path, and admonishing anyone who doesn’t live by that path. They are concerned with others, but in a negative way, and in the end will only have their own righteousness to live with, and that’s a horrible companion. Live your life by the rule of love. Love your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, with all of your heart. Give to them what they need, and show them not cruelty nor disapproval nor coldness nor disappointment, but only love. Open your soul to them.
Love not only your loved ones, but your neighbors … your coworkers … strangers … your brothers and sisters in humanity. Offer anyone you meet a smile, a kind word, a kind gesture, a helping hand. Always look out for the underdog! And love not only neighbors and strangers … but your enemy as well. The person who is cruelest to you, who has been unkind to you … love them too. He is a tormented individual, and most in need of your love. And most of all, love yourself. While others may criticize you, learn not to be so hard on yourself, to think that you’re ugly or dumb or unworthy of love … but to think instead that you are a wonderful human being, worthy of happiness and love … and learn to love yourself for who you are. Each one of you are a bit off the wall… colorfully twisted kids who didn’t fall far from the tree. You each know that and there is no shame in it. I love you all for being so “talented” and such fun little people to love, raise and just be around. I want you to embrace your colorfulness and not take shit from the world for it. Learn to use it to your benefit. Don’t hide from it… don’t make excuses because of it and don’t let it get you down. Take your meds and never be afraid to seek help when you need it. Lean on each other~ always. Be there for each other ~ always. Turn your back on one another ~ NEVER. Love one another unconditionally ~ forever
Finally, know that I love you all more than life itself and always will. I am so blessed and so very lucky to be your mom. I am proud of each of you for your own individual accomplishments so far and know you are all going to be the best you can be in life.
You are starting out on a weird, scary, daunting, but ultimately incredibly wonderful journey, and I will be there for you when I can.
Godspeed my angels~
Love,
Your Mom
By: SGT Kim Pratt on May 27, 2008
at 4:38 pm
David~ Points 3 and 4??? ~ Excellent!
~ Everyone has value, everyone contributes in some way.
~ Knowledge is not the same as wisdom.
I added them both to the letter to my children and plan on giving them a copy before I deploy to the combat zone… Thank you!
SGT Kim Pratt
By: SGT Kim Pratt on May 27, 2008
at 4:53 pm
Kim, Thanks for commenting and sharing your letter. May God watch over you and your family while you are away.
By: David on May 28, 2008
at 8:15 am