Last night at The Rock, the kids learned about giving. The lesson was called "God is Generous: I should give back to Him." I challenged the kids to list ways in which we can give back to God. They all came up with some great suggestions: help others, love him, tithe, worship, etc. I was pleased with the responses that I received, it seemed they really grasped the concept of what it means to be a giver. Then I pushed them a little further. "So how do we do these things?", I asked. Now I was greeted with blank stares. It seems that we have taught our kids WHAT to do, but not necessarily HOW to put our actions into practice.
It is essential that we instill in our kids a spirit of giving. I read an article once that pointed out that the behaviors and values that kids have processed and experienced before the age of 12 are the ones that they will carry into adulthood. Simply put, if a child practices giving before the age of 12, he will see this as a valuable behavior and continue to practice it. If he does not, he will see this behavior as useless and will disregard it. Wow! What a responsibility we have as teachers and parents to instill the values of serving, giving, caring, etc. in our kids.
Think about it for a second, are your children practicing giving? Moreso, are your children observing you exhibit a spirit of giving?
"But don't just listen to God's Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." James 1:22 NLT
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