Parent Giver

2014

As I saw a commercial for the movie The Giver, the Lord spoke to me. In case you’ve never read The Giver or watched the movie, ( I’m not saying go watch it) let me explain the plot...

The older man, the Giver, gives his knowledge and memories of the past to a young boy, the Receiver, so that he can pass down the knowledge to future generations. Though the book/movie is not real, it does hold some truth in a way. We, as parents, pass down knowledge and memories to our children. Parents are ”Givers” in many ways to their children.

When we take our children to school, a teacher gives them knowledge about the world, our country, outer space, reading, how to solve math problems, etc... We take our children to sports practice or dance class and the teachers and coaches give our child knowledge. We take our children to children’s church and Sunday school and the teachers give knowledge about the stories in the Bible. Lots of people give knowledge to our children each and every day.

As parents, we are givers to our children in many different ways. We give love, correction, nutrition, guidance, and so many other things. We parents are ”The Givers” to our children and should be the main source of knowledge that our children receive.

If we are the most influential source of knowledge our children receive, then let’s take a look at what we are giving our children and what type of example we are setting. Are we giving them examples of love not hate? Peace not conflict? Blessing others not cursing? Giving and not always receiving? Are we giving them knowledge of God or of this world?

Taking our children to church is a great thing, but an hour or two a week isn’t enough for our children to fully grasp how amazing God is. Giving knowledge about God and His word needs to be at the forefront of knowledge that we give to our children in our home every single day.

As I watched the trailer for the movie The Giver, the Lord spoke to me and said:

“You can give your children all the knowledge about Me you can, but until they experience Me and get to know Me on their own, they will not understand Me.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Yes, I need to give my children knowledge about Him, BUT I also need to give them the opportunity to experience His power so they can see and feel His greatness on their own. It’s not enough to know of someone or about them, you have to meet them and interact with them to know that person is real. This same principal applies with God. We can teach our children about God, but until they experience His power and presence they won’t truly understand His greatness.

We can give knowledge about God by making it a priority to read His Word everyday with our children, praying as a family, and reading devotions together. We can help our children ”experience” Him by filling our home with praise music, encouraging alone time to talk with God, keeping a family prayer journal, and writing down all the amazing ways God hears and answers our prayers. Talk about God in your everyday life and make Him part of your conversations and decisions.

I encourage you to allow your children to see you worship with abandonment. Show your children it’s ok to cry out to God and not be ashamed. Give your children opportunities to experience His power. When you are praying at the altar at church, let your child be a part of that—see you cry out to God. When you are sick, allow your child to pray over you and watch God answer.

Too often, we see our children as too young to experience God's power. We expect them to be babysat while we, as parents, receive from God and experience Him. We have this all wrong! The Bible says that unless WE (adults) become like a little child, WE (adults) will NOT enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Don't forget, our children are a part of the Bride of Christ as well.

”And He said: ”Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus doesn’t say children must become like adults to enter the kingdom of God and experience His presence, it’s the opposite! We have allowed the world to alter our thinking. We should not be shielding our children from experiencing God or babysitting them while we experience God's power.

We are to be givers to our children and be examples for them to follow. How will they be able to experience God and understand that He IS real if we keep saying they are too young to understand Him? We adults are the ones who can’t fully understand Him unless we become like a child and have childlike faith.

I encourage you to allow your child to have a personal, real relationship with God, and experience Him in such a powerful way that they will understand Him even more.

I have watched so many children during my ministry fall away from the Lord once they become teenagers and adults. What if the main reason they fall away after they grow out of their childhood stage is because they were only taught and “given” knowledge of God and His word, but never had a chance to experience Him on a personal level?

This eye-opening thought scared me as a parent. I can only give my child a limited knowledge of God. I can raise them right and go to church (yes, those things will help), but unless they have a personal relationship and experience Him on their own, what I am giving them is only knowledge and not power. Knowledge without wisdom of who He is, is dead.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

I want my children to grow up to be powerful and mighty warriors for Christ, who not only know of Him, but also know the reality of who He is.

I can only be ”The Giver” of knowledge about God to my children, but God Himself is the ultimate GIVER! He is the Giver of life! Parents, let’s change our focus and see how we can not only give knowledge of God to our children, but also LEAD them into a personal, real relationship with Him.