Raising Thirsty Children!

A verse that we often quote, especially when our kids are going astray, is Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (NKJV).

We think the way to do that is to raise our kids, basically from birth, in a Christian environment. So, from their very early days, we send them off to Sunday School. We send them to Christian camps. We enroll them in Christian schools. We only let them listen to Christian music, and we try to make sure they have Christian friends. We seem to be doing all of the right things.

Even so, when they get a little older, they go into rebellion in some cases. We think, Wait a second! Where did I go wrong?

But maybe it's a failure to understand what it really means to train up a child in the way that he or she should go.

The phrase "train up" in the original Hebrew speaks of the actions of a midwife who would dip her finger into crushed dates and then put it in the mouth of a newborn child. The purpose of this was to stimulate the infant's thirst for milk. So drawing from this concept, we see that to "train up" a child means to create a thirst within him or her.

Also, the word "child" used in Proverbs 22:6 is used in different ways in various passages. In one passage, the word relates to an infant. In another, it speaks of a young boy. In another, it references Joseph at age 17. In another, it is associated with a young man ready for marriage.

So this verse is really speaking of training children from their infant stages all the way into young adulthood. So, to put it all together, the verse is saying, "Create a thirst in and also give your child external boundaries from the beginning to the end, from infancy to young adulthood."

That is what God has called us to do. We are establishing external boundaries for our children's protection, but we are also seeking to develop within them an internal motivation to know and love the Lord.

What is the best way to create thirst? The same way you stir an appetite.

Imagine going out with friends who want to go get something to eat, but you aren't all that hungry. You go to the restaurant with them anyway, where they order big hamburgers, fries, and shakes.

When the food arrives, it smells so good. So you ask, "Mind if I have one of those fries?" The next thing you know, you've ordered your own meal. What happened? Their food came. You smelled it. You tasted it. And then you wanted your own.

In the same way, the best thing we can do to create a hunger and thirst for Jesus Christ in others is to live it ourselves. It is to be what God has called us to be.

If we are being the salt of the earth (see Matthew 5:13), then we will create a thirst for spiritual things in others, and they will see something in us that they will admire. So, in leading our children and training our children, the most important thing we must do is to live it first.

Moses said to the people of Israel, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NKJV).

Moses is saying that what you teach your children must be real to you first of all. Faith in Jesus Christ is something that permeates every area of our lives, and it is something that we should be talking about—not just at church or at a set time, such as family devotions.

It should be all of the time, when you sit down . . . when you rise up . . . when you are walking on the way. It is a part of our lives, and we need to teach our kids that Jesus Christ is to be a part of everything that we do.

As we model that for them and teach it to them, it will create a thirst in them as well. But first, we must be good examples.

By Greg Laurie

Family fun ideas

Arts & Crafts

Finger-paint.
Draw pictures on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

Get out the coloring books and crayons, and color.

Build a model car or airplane.

Design a family calendar; record birthdays, anniversaries, and family events.

Make Christmas cards or ornaments.

Family Growth

Have family devotions.

Plan a guy/girl night. Dad: Teach your son how to change the oil. Mom: Teach your daughter how to sew.

Decorate a can and fill it with ideas of fun things to do. Take turns pulling out something new each day.

Food & Meals

Have an ice cream sundae night with special toppings, whipped cream, and candy.

Bake cookies together and take some to your neighbors.

Plan a potluck dinner with friends.

Have a barbeque.

Pack a picnic.

Go to an ice cream shop.

Build a bonfire, roast marshmallows, and make S’mores.

Getting Out of the House

Visit the zoo or a local museum.

Pick fruit at a U-Pick.

Take a road trip down a road you’ve never explored.

Plan and go on a scavenger hunt with your kids.

Attend a free community concert.

Hospitality

Adopt a “grandpa” or “grandma” from your church and do something special with that person.

Host a “Cousins Camp” if cousins live nearby.

If It’s Raining

Build a fort with blankets, tables, and chairs.

Make a “home movie.” Let the kids use the camcorder, dress up, and use whatever resources you have on hand to set the scene.

Design a personal collage of “Things I Love” or “The Story of My Life.” Give everyone a large poster board and a stack of magazines. When finished, take turns talking about what the pictures mean.

Give your girls a “makeover.”

Play dress-up or “Cowboys and Indians.”

Play musical chairs.

Sing around the piano.

Write a “progressive story”—each family member adds one sentence—and then illustrate it.

Write encouraging notes to relatives, people in the military, friends, and pastors.

Play board games.

Put together a jigsaw puzzle.

Neighborhood Fun

Host a bike-decorating contest, and let the kids have a parade to show off their bikes.

Plan an art show. Display the neighborhood children’s artwork, and invite their families to attend. Serve refreshments, and elect a judge to award ribbons.

Organize a community cleanup day.

Make sock puppets, write a script, and invite the neighborhood kids to the puppet show.

Sports & Exercise

Play soccer or kickball.

Go on a bike ride.

Play Putt-Putt Golf or visit to the driving range.

Go roller skating or ice skating.

Visit the playground.

Shoot hoops or play H-O-R-S-E with a basketball.

Take a hike and collect rocks and leaves.

Jump rope.

Play “Kick the Can” or “Capture the Flag.”

Have a water fight with the hose, buckets, balloons, or squirt guns.

Fly a kite.

Teach the kids how to play hopscotch or croquet.

23 great questions to ask your kids

By Sharon Jaynes

1. What do you think heaven looks like?

2. What does Dad do at work?

3. Who is a person you know that seems the most Christ-like?

4. What do you think your wife (husband) will be like?

5. If you were going to spend one year on a desert island and could only take three things with you, what would they be?

6. Who is your favorite aunt or uncle and why do you like him or her so much?

7. What sounds and smells do you think Joseph and Mary experienced in the stable on Christmas night?

8. What is the nicest thing I ever did for you?

9. When is a time that I hurt your feelings?

10. When is a time that you were really mad at me?

11. If people followed the Golden Rule, think of all the things we wouldn’t need. Can you make a list?

12. If you could be in a movie that you’ve already seen, which one would it be? Would you be a character that is already in the movie, or would you be one that you would add?

13. How is love different for a Christian couple than it is in the movies?

14. What is the difference between being smart and being wise?

15. What is your favorite outfit?

16. What is the hardest part about being (fill in your child’s age)?

17. What has been your favorite childhood memory?

18. When you pray, how do you picture God?

19. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why do you like it?

20. If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be?

21. If you could go in a time machine, what era in history would you like to visit?

22. What person in history would you like to visit?

23. What is the most important decision you will ever make?

I love these too! I got from a friends site

How are your devotions?

What is God teaching you?

In your own words, what is the gospel?

Is there a specific sin you're aware of that you need my help defeating?

Are you more aware of my encouragement or my criticism?

What's daddy most passionate about?

Do I act the same at church as I do when I'm at home?

Are you aware of my love for you?

Is there any way I've sinned against you that I've not repented of?

Do you have any observations for me?

How am I doing as a dad?

How have Sunday's sermons impacted you?

Does my relationship with mom make you excited to be married?

(On top of these things, with my older kids, I'm always inquiring about their relationship with their friends and making sure God and his gospel are the center of those relationship. And I look for every opportunity to praise their mother and increase their appreciation and love for her.)

Proverbs (7:1-3)
"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."

Just like a child has to grow physically, mentally and socially, he also must grow spiritually and a child has to be taught all of these things. Taught about God and His love for us! I'm always praying that I am teaching my kids about the Lord (Brian and I both are), and that I'm training them up in the way they should go! There is nothing greater than passing on GODLY teaching and being a Godly example to your kids!