Live what you say!

Be authentic but give them truth.— Jessica Smartt Live What You Say by Jessica Smartt, from Let Them Be Kids For my first real job I was the librarian at a Christian school. (I hear you out there making your librarian jokes.) We had to arrive at 7:15 a.m. for morning devotions, led by the pastor of the church. Interesting plot twist: ten years later that same pastor pled guilty to stealing nearly $1 million from the church and school. I still remember a lot of what he said at devotions. Do you think that I esteem those words now? No. I don't. Rightly or not, for me, he has lost all credibility; he was inauthentic in his character, and I don't trust him. I wonder if the relational equivalent of this is happening in the houses of well-intentioned Christian families. I wonder if there is a chasm between action and word, between character and doctrine. I wonder if what we say does not seem to mean anything. Simply put, are we a family who, together, lives this Good Life? If I tell my kids to get their rear ends off the couch and have adventures, am I myself moving my own rear end toward adventures? If I tell my kids that too much technology is harmful, am I myself stuck scrolling my phone? If I tell my kids that being cool doesn't matter, am I chasing the latest iPhone, applying gobs of concealer before I leave the house, or ordering new clothes every three weeks from this or that boutique? If I tell them to be kind, am I myself screaming at their dad when I get mad? If I tell them reading matters, when was the last time I picked up a book? If I tell them faces are more important than screens, do I look them in the eyes when they're talking to me? If you are like me, this list of questions surfaces a little bit of a guilty, depressed feeling. We have high ideals, and yet we are very, very human. People sometimes take this to mean we drop the ideals. Embrace the imperfect, stop trying so hard. I get the appeal of this, but it essentially falls flat and is unhelpful. My pastor sometimes tells us he wants to be the "first repenter." I think this sums up a better response to the guilty, depressed feeling. In this response we don't stop trying. We confess first. Part of the good news about being a parent is that you have a built-in accountability system! Isn't that wonderful? A friend of mine said he told his daughters they could ask for five dollars every time they saw him using his phone while driving. Don't you bet that habit was broken quickly! I'm going to be honest with you. There's something scary about writing a parenting book when your kids are all ten and under. I don't use words like jinx, but if I did, I might feel like using it here. The jury is very much still out. I don't have a proven formula. But, honestly, I'm not sure you should believe me if I said I did. What I do have is this: Work out your faith with fear and trembling in front of your kids. Be authentic but give them truth. I can't resist quoting Paul David Tripp: If we are going to teach our children to run to Jesus daily, we must run to Jesus daily as well. If we want our children to be sad in the face of the sin of their hearts and hands, we must mourn our sin as parents as well. You see, it is only as we are willing to confess that we are more like than unlike our children, that we ourselves need parenting every day, that we will be parents in need of a father's grace who will again and again lead our children to the grace of the Father.1 I think this is one of the most exciting parts of this whole thing. We all learn together. Together, we adventure. Together, we choose faces over screens. Together, we apologize and pick ourselves up again tomorrow. Together, we chase after the Good Life. 1.Tripp, Parenting, 56–57. Excerpted with permission from Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt, copyright Jessica Smartt. Your Turn Let's pray together today that the Lord would help us to live what we say! Our families are watching. The world is watching. Let's reach for God's best and live the good life! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily COMMENT Share this devotion with someone who needs it today. From the author of Memory-Making Mom... Save 30% off the brand-new book Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need by Jessica Smartt As every parent hopes to raise kids with good manners and values, Jessica Smartt's practical guide fills the gaps of uncertainty and provides tips on how parents can equip their children in purity, faith, and creativity. Paperback, Regular: $18.99 Sale Price: $13.29 (30% off) ebook: $9.99 + free U.S. shipping* on orders $30 or more SHOP NOW Former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, especially with all the outside pressures and influence of the world. She struggled with how she could raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to utilize technology wisely. Let Them Be Kids is Jessica's offering of grace and confidence to moms, giving them practical ideas to meet these challenges. Her well-researched, tested methods, woven together with her personal stories and witty humor, deliver wisdom on the tough topics of life, such as family time vs. outside activities, being "cool" or not, boredom, technology usage sexual purity, and showing grace when kids disobey. Part story and part guidebook, every chapter includes doable strategies and encouragement for the journey. Let Them Be Kids helps moms feel confident and equipped with ways to provide a safe, healthy, Christ-centered childhood for their children. It leads them to conquer fear and find truth that transforms them and their families as it reminds them how to enjoy and cherish the special memory-making moments of building family values together. GET THE DEALS *Sale prices valid through 7/30/2020, excluding eBooks.  eBooks purchases are fulfilled by our partner, Glose.  Free U.S. shipping on orders $30 or more, excluding Alaska and Hawaii Devotionals Daily ~ our mission is to help you grow and share your faith. Did you receive this message from a friend? Sign up to start receiving Devotionals Daily. Copyright © 2020 HarperCollins Christian Publishing,  All Rights Reserved. 501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN  37214  USA Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy *Manage Your eMail Preferences or Unsubscribe

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