training them...training me

One of our speakers at Premier's Rally was Dr. Gary Smalley (widely known as the author of the book, The 5 Love Languages). 

I know, I know, nothing to do with jewelry.  But that's kind of how Premier is.  Not much focus on the jewelry and sales - but more on people and much more important things for this life and eternity.  I love that our founders who started Premier 26 years ago will NEVER allow 8,000 people to be in one place without them hearing about God's love and saving grace.  I've personally seen lives changed for eternity just through this little jewelry business.

So needless to say, we have some pretty amazing speakers and sessions, with Dr. Smalley just being ONE of them this year.

I loved the truths and experiences he shared with us.  And I was so excited to purchase this book at his table afterwards (I bought the LAST one!)...

I struggle daily with trying hard to teach my kids obedience and yet so many times I realize that I am making this about ME and not about God.  And already in the first chapter of this book, I am reminded that it's about what's in MY heart and MY thoughts that will reflect in the ways I'm teaching my children.

Funny, how purchasing a book that I thought would help my children is changing and helping me.

From the back cover...

"Most people have 20,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. And for Americans, more than half of those thoughts are negative. So how do you teach your children to guard their minds and hearts in today’s society? The last thing you need is more parenting advice that proves futile.

Your beliefs strongly influence your thoughts, words, and actions, which in turn form your emotions. So the key to a high-quality life is to create powerful beliefs within your heart that control your behavior. You can think whatever thoughts you want, but what would happen if you mainly thought about the words Jesus told you to think about more than two thousand years ago?"

This book is centered around 4 core beliefs that keep your children from straying from God: humility, loving God, loving others, and gratitude.  All beliefs that I need to saturate myself in as well.

The book includes Parent Points, sections on guarding my heart as a parent, and Parent Plans, as well as scripture to have myself and my family meditate and memorize.  It's SOOO applicable!

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." Prov. 31:26

Oh, to be that woman!

In the short time I've been reading this book I realize so much of how my emotions drive my actions.  How my emotions control the way I discipline at times, the way I talk to my children, my husband, and in turn, my motives are mostly all wrong.  If I don't constantly keep my thoughts and beliefs Christ-centered, my focus for my children is based on their outward behavior and "acting right".  When I should be teaching them daily to "think" right, training them in righteousness which ONLY comes from the Word of God.

So I must be in the Word of God myself.

So many times I'm fooled into believing that I can teach my children to be better than I am.  I can TELL them the right things to do and hopefully they will do it.  But who am I kidding.  God is using my kiddos to train ME.  I have to get things right, my thoughts, my beliefs, my obedience, my day-to-day life, right - before I can teach them, or at least WHILE I'm teaching them. 

Never forgetting that ultimately it's God's work - THROUGH me and IN me.  He requires my obedience and commitment to him, my surrender to him that I cannot do this on my own,
and then he graciously gives me grace over and over and over again.