Biblical Blessings
The greatest gift a parent can give a child is a solid foundation of faith. One way to draw our children into a relationship with Jesus is to bless them. This models our trust in God and will encourage our children to trust in Him too. This month as we’re preparing for Easter, we’ll explore ways to foster faith in our children.
The Bible provides lots of “how-to’s” for moms and dads! Here’s an illustration from the Gospel of Mark. People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16
Jesus gave parents a wonderful example of how to love children. He took the children in his arms and blessed them. A blessing is defined as “an act requesting of God the bestowal of divine favor on, to bestow good of any kind upon, to protect or guard from evil” (Dictionary.com).
When kids are little, it’s easy to take them in our arms and pray with them. As children get older, we may shy away from that gregarious form of affection. Our tweens and teens may as well. If it’s not easy for you, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and “love up” your child. This is especially important for moms and sons as well as dads and daughters. A warm embrace and a prayer for the big game or a challenging test may be exactly what your child needs.
Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. Here are a few suggestions in how you can bless your children.
• Pray with your child before he leaves for school. Include prayers for God’s protection, guidance, and encouragement for the day. My 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting ministry partner, Lori Wildenberg, would pray the Aaronic Blessing over her children. The Lord bless you
and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).
• Tuck a note of encouragement in your child’s lunch to bless him during the school day.
• Text a Bible verse or a quick, “I love you” during the day to your tween/teen.
• Tape a Bible verse to the bathroom mirror.
• Leave a Post-it® Note on the steering wheel for your teen to find as he heads out to school or work.
• Use the downloadable Biblical Blessings to pray with your children.
We cannot go everywhere with our children, but God can…and does.
…for the Lord your God goes with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6b
© 2013 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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