I may not have silver or gold, but what I have, I give to you. It is amazing how we try to provide our children with the very best we can give them from the moment they arrive into the world. As we strive to be good parents we make sacrifices of time and money to send them to good schools, to give them the tools they will need to excel, to enroll them in many extracurricular activities, and to provide them with vacations and travelling experiences that will enrich their lives. Think for a moment about the greatest gift you have received, wouldn’t that be the best thing to give to them?

I have been in a love affair with the Lord for a number of years and I would like to share this love with my children, my family, and anyone else I have the privilege of getting to know. It is a relationship that seems to be reaching greater depths as I experience His love, direction, mercy, justice, and kindness in the ups and downs of life. Unfortunately, as one goes through life, one must experience suffering and pain along with the joys of family, friends, and the many comforts this part of the world has to offer. How will our children cope with difficulties in this life if they do not have the endurance that comes with such a special relationship?

Our world is an ever changing world. Our children will have the challenge to keep up with all the changes that come with a faster paced and more “progressive” society. As we stand today, children of all ages are struggling with challenges that we never experienced. There is dramatic increase of childhood depression; young adults lack of direction, sense of purpose and identity. Suicide is not uncommon. A new generation is growing up in the midst of confussion. Our children, our families, and our society face a crisis unlike any other before. Things that we used to hear would happen to other people are happenning in our own families.

However, God has a plan. And, like many of His plans, He likes to involve us in the execution part. In his role of creator, he has revealed: “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:31. So what is our role as parents in this plan? As parents, our role is to know where our children’s hearts are at; to seek and to understand where they are in their journey. It is their own love affair with the Lord, the Creator of the entire universe that will sustain them in this life and what will secure them a place in the life to come. The best thing to give to our children is the foundation on which to build this relationship. Therefore, our parenting plan should be aimed at achieving this goal; to teach them what matters most, to help them discover God in their hearts and in the world. We don’t have to forget about all the other things that we would like to give them; it is good to go to a good school; it is good to play sports; it is good to have nice things; however we should not neglect what is most important.

We face many daily challenges. Whether you are a stay at home parent, or a working parent, your day is filled with activities that involve serving your family. This may include earning a living, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving, tutoring; the list can go on for-ever. Being a parent implies being a service provider. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of doing and doing, and let the time with our children slip through our fingers. We are the game-changers of their lives, our role is to provide them with the foundation of faith on which they can build this important relationship with the Lord. It’s now the time to give them what matters most.  If we don’t do it, nobody else will. But how do we do this?