Before we had a child, my husband and I had the opportunity to see our pastor’s family up close. We saw that they live unlike other families we knew for small groups and hangouts that are often in their homes.
My parents loved staying with my children. They were not operated by the surrounding culture machines. Instead, they spent many family time, churches and family time. They had a family motto and vision, but even the smallest children in their family knew. And they invited others to the house warmly. I realized that the more I knew the family, the prosperous family culture was not what they did or achieved, but to concentrate their identity in Christ.
When Michael and I had children, we wanted to develop similar cultures in our own home. However, we have also seen that creating a prosperous family culture centered on Christ begins with the first person who is based on the Lord.
The human mind depends on measuring yourself and trying to improve your mood. We want to see where we land, compared ourselves with other people in our profession. Or, I want to decide how to rank next to another parent or neighbor. Are we sufficiently involved? Friendly? Did you achieve enough? I even feel the temptation of mentally ranking children in opposition to scholars and actions of other children. I want a simple way to judge whether you are okay or sufficient or do enough. I am eager to know where I am standing in the world, to put my identity.
We all face the opportunity to make a mistake in our external roles. If you are like me, those temptations are often classified as work, child -rearing, and even children’s achievements.
Christ over the identity of our work
The first question I often ask when I meet someone new is “What do you do?” In our culture, asking someone in your work is not only a way to know them, but also to classify others. Is he climbing a company ladder? Is she at the top of a professional career? How much money and power do this person have? Is he rich? Is she important in the world?
It is not surprising that it is very easy to define yourself by our work. Of course, say, “I’m a teacher” or “I’m a manager” and think about our identity in what we do most of our awakening time.
But the gospel provides us another way to identify ourselves. The apostle Paul had a washing list of results and duties that would surprise the other Jews in the first century, but the title he carried did not define him. In fact, after coming to Christ, Paul can provide an impressive list of “such reasons of confidence” on his ground, but he’s almost meaningless to Christ. I will point out immediately.
But what I got, I am now thinking of loss for Christ. Furthermore, I lost everything because I was worth knowing my Lord Jesus Christ, so I lost everything. I believe they may be able to see garbage, I get Christ and see him. I do not have my own righteousness from the law, but (A) through religion to Christ. Of religion. (Filipi 3: 7-9 NIV)
Paul was the biggest treasure to know Christ Jesus and to be right for Christ by religion to Christ. And it was also the lens he saw himself. All of the titles and praise on the ground were worthwhile for him to know Jesus and follow.
Is there a family culture that reflects this? Are you talking at home about the immeasurable treasure of knowing Jesus more than anything else? If not, it’s not too late! Read these poems together, talk about it at dinner and car, and begin to form a family culture that exceeds all roles, work, or fabrics.
Does this mean that the Lord doesn’t value our work? Not at all! We are told to do what we do, for the Lord and the Lord (Kolosai 3:23). But we do not define our value and identity in our work. We let Jesus define who we are and the value we have.
When we model it for children -Our work instructions without putting our value in our work- The Christ is a person who defines us Provide the opportunity to them. This helps to create consistency and joy of a house that does not change when promotion or unemployment occurs.
Christ regarding our child -rearing and the results of our children
There is another identity trap waiting for us. It is to identify yourself depending on your role as your parents. When you ask what you are doing, you are at home, you are volunteering in PTA, or you are home schooling your child.
Being a parent is a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127: 3-5), and our children are blessed from him! But, like the other blessings we have given, we do not intend to focus on our identity around the children. Nevertheless, in our culture, it is common to identify yourself with this specific role. We are “boys’ moms” or “soccer mom”. “Girl Papa” or “Coach Papa”. These titles are not so fun, but not really a problem. This is behind a more insidious title. If we start to see our main identity as a parent, we can start raising children into an unhealthy idolization place in our lives.
Hearing our children with our identity is often intertwined with our children’s achievements and activities. We experience a thrill as a parent when the children work well, whether or not the children work well, whether they are scholars, sports, art, art, or anything else. We want the children to prosper in this world and want them to give them a chance to succeed, but their activities, trophy, and prizes are more than in the relationship with Christ. When it was important, things were going well. The home culture is probably more focused on performances than in existence, focusing on activities rather than connecting.
How many people do you do in a missing church on Sunday for sports tournaments? If we are investing in children’s activities and achievements, if we are not going to pursue them by pushing everything else to the side, we will tell you where we have our own identity. It is necessary to re -evaluate what is our children about where their identity came from.
Jesus priorities
If you want to create a prosperous family culture that puts the Lord at the center of your heart, it starts with us, giving priority to Jesus as parents, not what we are doing or participating, Focus on identity and value.
The truth is that outside of Christ, there are countless ways that can connect our value and identity based on what we are doing. But none of them satisfy us. If we are pursuing this world praise, our children will constantly see anxiety, stress, and overwhelming parents.
Instead, we can rely on Jesus, who clearly define our identity when they come to him with repentance and religion. God “(John 1:12).
As a god of God, we (or our children), how well we are, or that we are spending on our work, but love It is done. We are loved because we are his loved ones.
From that beloved place, we have the opportunity to nurture family culture that delights the value of Christ. There is no need to follow the next trophy or promotion to prove yourself, and children do not need to chase. We can enjoy being together without filling every moment on another opportunity to acquire our path in the world. Even when our house is not perfect, we can open the house to others (when the people in the house are not perfect). And Christ is the most difficult job to save us, so that we can know and love him, and the valuable family left to us saves us We can take a rest together because we did a difficult job.
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Copyright © 2024 by Ann Swindell. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
Ann writes a story about the existence of Christ in our daily lives and the hope that he will bring it to our hearts. She is the author of several books, including her latest novel, the Christmas of a castle library, and a contributor to ministries and agencies, such as the Gospel Union, Family Life, and her birth. After many years in the academia, Ann set up with Grace and teaches a Christ for women for women. She lives in West Michigan, where she enjoys adventure with her family. I usually get an Earl Gratie mug.
