Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Some things I'd like my daughter to learn...

I found out last Friday that we're having a girl! We're so excited. After seeing her on the ultrasound it really started to hit me: I'm going to be a mom. WOW. Such a big responsibility to be given a child to raise and teach, wonderful for sure, but also a huge challenge lies ahead of me. I've been thinking about things I want to make sure she knows about God. Here's my list:

1. I want her to know that God loves her, and that he created her to be in a relationship with him.

2. I want her to know that God created the whole world, and that we as people are supposed to care for all of creation-including plants, animals, the earth and it's atmosphere, and all people.

3. I want her to know that God is always reaching out to us because he wants us to know him better. He's always willing to forgive us when we mess up, and he's always looking for ways to connect with us. We just have to listen.

4. I want her to know that God teaches us in so many different ways, and that he uses our life experiences, good and bad, to bring us closer to him.

5. I want her to develop a love for God's word, because it changes the hearts of those who read it, and thereby changes the world for the better.

6. I want her to be a loving and compassionate person, a person whose love for Jesus is displayed in how she values and cares for other people.

There are more, many more, but since she is only a 21 week old fetus I don't think it's fair to expect too much from her yet! I hope this list has got you thinking about what your children are learning, and about how your relationship with God and others impacts your child's relationship with God. Children learn so much by participation and observation, and I want to make sure that once my daughter gets here I am modeling how to love others so that she learns it too.

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