When my children were small, I used to look at families with older children and think, “I’ll never get that busy.” I now understand how hard it is to balance kids’ interests, responsibilities, available time and energy, and the importance of letting them just be kids.
As my kids have gotten older, their interests are more intense and time consuming. Between commitments to church, music, sports and school, their time is stretched – and so is mine. Now we are looking at August, back to school and a busy fall. I know my children will want to be actively involved in everything. But it’s up to my husband and me to be the gatekeeper for their schedules, and help them set priorities.
If we model our lives after Jesus, we learn that He incorporated a lot of interests into His day. He socialized at parties, met new people, spent time with friends, went to church, taught, worked, honored the Sabbath, and He knew when to step out of the demands of the day to rest and pray. That’s the key. Jesus knew His priorities, and He knew when He needed to reconnect with His heavenly Father.
As my husband and I try to teach our kids good time stewardship, there are a few things we’ve learned from the life of Jesus and from personal experience that might help you:
- Talk to your child about the importance of honoring God with our time. Explain that we are managers (stewards) of the time God has given to us, and we need to use our time wisely, and according to God’s will for our lives.
- Make church attendance a priority. Consider it a tithe of time. Give God the first and best part of your week. We are encouraged to not give up this time of worship and fellowship with believers.
- Set a time of rest during the year. Pick a season where no extra activities are added on. In our family it’s summer. Instead of joining library book clubs, sport’s teams or swim clubs, our activities are based around the family.
- Consider the reasons for taking on a new activity or responsibility. Is it really because your child wants to do it, or is there influence from a friend? Talk about this issue.
- Encourage your child to pray about new commitments before making a decision. Teach your children to ask God for direction, and then expect Him to answer. Encourage children to take time during the day for personal prayer and Bible reading.
- Check your own motives. Is it possible you are encouraging your child to pursue an activity that satisfies a personal dream? Lay your personal lost dreams before the Lord and watch what He will do with them.
We have a limited time with our children to teach important life skills. One important skill we can pass on is good time stewardship. The writer of Ecclesiastes understood the frailty of time, yet the importance of using it wisely. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Help your children learn to seek God’s will for their time as they make decisions about every opportunity.
The heart that truly loves never forgets.
- Proverb
I find myself reading this post over and over again, thank you.