Values? But Why?

Will you by your prayers and witness help this child to grow into the full stature of Christ?
Parents and Godparents: I will, with God's help. (Book of Common Prayer, 302)
Prayer Bench in Blacksburg, VA 
When was the last time your family saw you praying outside of church? When have you involved your children or godchildren in the acts of kindness you do for others because your see God in them?
These are personal things that many of us do not think to share with our children. I did not grow up knowing that my parents prayed beyond the dinner table or that they gave to those who had less than we did. I know this now but as a child I was unaware.

In Matthew 6 it says “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Prayer Bench in a place where one can go in and close the door to be in secret. 
Many of us take this call for a private relationship with God to an extreme. We don’t share how and where and why we pray with our children. We don’t talk to them about how our lives are shaped by our Faith. We don’t talk to them about why we give to the church or any of the organizations we give our time and money to support. I believe that in a truly good effort to not boast and brag about our good deed we keep silent but this keeps us from passing our faith on to our children.

I invite you to talk to your kids about how your understanding of God has led you to share what you have been given with others. I know that if your children and spouse knew that you prayed for them daily and that you talk to God about your relationship with them daily, it will give your own relationships a different light.

Our children will learn to value what they see us valuing. They learn how to live out their faith by watching you which is why at Holy Baptism we make promises to demonstrate and teach our children what it is to be a Christian.

Parents please do not feel you need share the nitty gritty of your decisions but an overview will help your children understand the reasons behind your actions and will lead them to a knowledge of how to live their faith in the world.

Conversation Starters:
  • Tell your kids when you pray, why you pray and how you pray. Ask them if they have a prayer practice and what it looks like.
  • Talk as a family about why you volunteer and where. (Sharing Time and Talents.)
  • Talk as a family about how you donate to help others, why you choose the organizations your support and finally how you do that responsibly. (Sharing Treasure.)
  • Invite your children to find a place to give their time and talents and a place to share their treasure. Come up with a plan of how they can accomplish this goal. We use a system called Spend-Save- Share so our kids can learn to budget and to give wisely.
Jars for Spend- Save- Share used with budgeting allowance.

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