A new year greeting and some wonderful tips from our Children & Youth Acquisitions Editor, Linda MacKillop !
Isn’t it wonderful that the Christian life allows us do overs when we’ve blown it or gone the wrong way? Fresh starts, as new people in God, form the very basis of our faith. We sin, repent, and become different people who make completely new choices, by God’s grace and power.
New Year’s Day gives us an official holiday for beginning again, allowing us to make some much-needed intentional changes. Maybe New Year’s resolutions aren’t really your thing, but why not consider introducing your kids to fresh starts?
Usually adults rule the New Year’s resolution game. On their own, kids don’t gravitate toward a list of changed behaviors or new habits. But they certainly watch their parents. What do our kids see us resolve to do in the coming year? Eat more vegetables? Go to the gym more often? Stop drinking soda?
And what do our kids learn about promise keeping and following through on commitments when they see us break our resolutions? Some resolutions might seem lightweight, but the weight of keeping our word before our children is much heavier.
In 2016, in addition to making and keeping our own resolutions, we can encourage our young ones to think about making some of their own fresh starts and following through on those commitments. Here are a few suggestions:
As you set aside a time to plan these resolutions with your kids, include a little fanfare like a special dinner or a private lunch, a journal entry, and a prayer to let them know making a decision toward change is momentous. Keeping promises and commitments is weighty. Most importantly, invite God into the decision, and ask Him to open your eyes to needed change. The goal is to develop lifelong habits, rather than brief resolutions that vanish when the fifteen pounds are gone from our waistlines.
And one year from now, may you find you’ve truly made changes and kept them. Happy New Year, everyone!