How to Talk to Your Kids About Prayer, Trusting God, and Letting Go

A great article from the blog of "What's in the Bible?"

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How to Talk to Your Kids About Prayer, Trusting God, and Letting Go
by Lisa Strnad

This has been a difficult week… and it’s only Wednesday! My husband and I have had appointments with the medical specialists who have evaluated my son these past six weeks, in order for us to get his IEP (individualized education plan) written by next week. Doctors, speech therapists, psychologists, and autism specialists – all with their own take on where my son fits into some unrealistic bell curve. Ugh!

Discussing the educational, social and pragmatic needs of my child – someone who I know so well – with people who have made 90 minutes clinical observations, can be a difficult thing to sit through. It has caused me great anxiety and yet I say I trust that God will lead us in the right path. I pray so often about this one area of life, that I sometimes wonder if God has the patience to keep listening. Of course I know He does, but when does the asking part of prayer need to be channeled into the trusting part of prayer?

I ask this, not because I know the answer, but because it’s an area where I fall drastically short. I sometimes wonder if I prayed correctly, if I used the right words in my prayer, if I remembered to ask for forgiveness before asking for the desires of my heart? Religiosity of the past has definitely had its negative affects on my overall ability to just give whatever it is to God, and then trust that He’s got it…all of it.

Exodus 14:15 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

Like many of you, I know my kids see me praying. We pray and worship together as a family. We pray over each meal. We pray for intentions of our friends and family members. But do my kids see me TRUSTING that God now has this need which I have specifically asked Him to take? Not always…

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Think back to when you were a kid. Did you ever worry about your dad getting you home safely on a long car ride? More than likely you were able to fall fast asleep in the back seat of the car, fully trusting that your dad would take care of you? And the next morning, you’d wake up in your bed, having been carried in by one of your parents.

As adults, it’s sometimes so difficult to let the worry, fear, and control go. But that’s the child-like trust that God wants us to have in Him. God’s Word is my reminder that the Lord is truly my strength. In Him I can take refuge! His grace is surely sufficient, because I am so weak in every way!!

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

I know that the Lord has wonderful plans for my son. He is much more than a clinical diagnosis or a educational plan. I will continue to advocate for him the rest of my life, if that’s what God has in mind. In my mental weariness, I will seek the refuge of my Father, who I really do trust with all of me heart.

If you struggle with giving the needs of your heart to God, you aren’t alone. Remind your children that it’s okay to wonder if God hears their prayers. It’s okay to come to you with questions or even doubts. In helping guide them, you will help yourself and heal any doubts that you too may be struggling with. It’s so important to get back into Scripture and refresh your mind and spirit about the truth… YES, God has your back! He knows the desires of your heart! And He wants to bless you, His child!

About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She works freelance in Christian Media, specializing in writing, promotions and marketing. Lisa lives with her husband and their two sons in Nashville, TN.

Sparks Family Follow Up

Bible lesson: Lot chose the best piece of land when Abraham gave him the choice to choose. It was a bad choice because Lot chose to live next to two bad cities with a lot of evil influences. He later moved into one of the evil cities and allowed himself to be affected by their evil way.

Parents: Talk together about making good choices, choices that show kindness to other people. Also talk about staying away from things that tempt us to do wrong --- for instance, playing with kids who consistently make bad choices. Do a family project that shows kindness to someone else---the Operation Christmas Child is a perfect project.

Sparks Family Follow Up

Theme: What is Faith? Faith is the opposite of being in control

Abraham, A Man of Faith Abraham, a wealthy man, packed up his possessions and family and left his hometown for a place that God sent him to but Abraham didn't know the location or anything about the new land. With faith, he let God lead on. Faith is the opposite of being in control. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God, meaning we give up our plans and follow God's plans instead. Parents --- share with your kids some of the surprising things that have happened in your life. What would you have done differently if you knew those things were going to happen? What can families do to help each other through life when we don't know what will happen next? What are some things your family can do right now to be prepared for whatever life may bring? Saving money and buying helmets may prevent some surprises, but life will always bring something new your way. The only thing that can truly keep you prepared is knowing God's Word and having faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Are your family's priorities reflecting that truth?

Donating Awana Shares through matching program for Operation Christmas Child

At every Awana meeting, clubbers will be awarded with different numbers of Awana Shares for their excellent performance in learning and in games. Each clubber may be rewarded no more than 2 Awana Shares in each meeting. Every 5 weeks, the clubbers will have an opportunity to redeem their Awana Shares for little gifts at the Awana Store. Our first Awana Store will be opened this coming Friday. Yet in order to encourage giving to bless others, we will also provide opportunities for the clubbers to "donate" their Awana Shares for charity.

In October, as Westside Baptist Church is promoting Operation Christmas Child (OCC), we will also support OCC at Awana. Operation Christmas Child (OCC) brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the message of God’s unconditional love. Operation Christmas Child was started in 1990 by Dave Cooke, a Welshman who felt moved to deliver gifts to Romanian orphans after seeing their living circumstances on television. In 1993, Operation Christmas Child grew and was adopted by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization run by Franklin Graham. To date, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed over 94 million shoe box gifts worldwide. Each shoe box gift is filled with hygiene items, school supplies, toys, and candy, is given to children regardless of gender, race, religion, or age. You can find more information about OCC at http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/Operation-Christmas-Child.

This Friday at Awana Store, we will encourage the clubbers to donate their Awana Shares to fill OCC shoeboxes. For each Awana Share donated, a pre-arranged donor will give $10 towards purchasing supplies for filling OCC shoeboxes. We hope to raise $300 to buy supplies for shoeboxes. Then in a meeting in November we will let the clubbers help pack the shoeboxes. I hope that parents can help explain the concept of this matching program to children at home, and encourage them to donate some or all of their Awana Shares instead of just getting gifts for themselves.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact Pastor Alan. Thank you very much.

Sparks Family Follow Up

In club, we've been talking about the importance of being thankful to God, our heavenly Father, in EVERY situation. Each night at the supper table, list, with your children, five "thanks" that your family has for that day. At first, children will probably choose the obvious: my parents, my house, my pet, etc. As you continue to do this, encourage them to develop a thankful attitude for the not-so-obvious: "I'm sorry Aunt Karen is sick, but I am thankful we were able to make cards for her today;" "I'm sorry I didn't get to go to Trevor's birthday party, but I'm thankful I got to play a game with Dad here at home."

Collecting Points & AWANA Shares

Clubbers in Cubbies, Sparks and T&T will be awarded different amount of points for their achievements during Club time. The clubber(s) who received the most points during a club meeting will be awarded with one AWANA Shares, which can be used to exchange for goodies when the AWANA Store is open.

There are many ways to collect points during a club meeting:

• Finishing a section in the handbook: 40 points for each section
• Arriving on time (before 7:30pm): 10 points
• Bringing own Bible: 20 points
• Bringing dues (Suggested amount: $1): 10 points
• Bringing handbook: 10 points
• Wearing uniform - 10 points
• Attending Sunday School on the Sunday before: 20 points
• We will also award good behaviours with extra points!

Besides collecting personal points to obtain AWANA Shares, the clubbers who are in the winning team of each Game Time will also be awarded with AWANA Shares.

Thanksgiving Weekend

There is no AWANA meeting this coming Friday due to the Thanksgiving long weekend. We will meet again on Oct 12.