DAY EIGHT - Love Wins Hearts - He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. (Malachi 4:6) Whoever has your childrens hearts has their ears and significantly influences the direction of their lives. You can be the most spiritual, intelligent parent on the planet, but if you lose your childrens hearts, they will likely turn away from you in the long run. King David was a man after Gods own heart, a great warrior, a successful leader, and a loving friend. But he lost the heart of his own son Absalom, and it resulted in painful family dysfunction, public shame, and the deaths of 20,000 men in battle (2 Samuel 13-18). How could this happen? The fracture began when David grew distant in his own private walk with God and began hiding in sin. (Read the story - it quickly goes south from there) God puts a longing within all children when they are young to gain the attention and approval of their parents (Proverbs 4:1-4; 17:6) He instructs fathers, saying, Do no exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. (Colossians 3:21) You can tell when children have turned their hearts away from their parents. The ongoing tones of disrespect. The lack of tenderness. Emotional distance. Training, discipline, and boundaries are necessary for good parenting, but they must be packaged and cushioned within a context of love. QUESTIONS: Do I have my childrens hearts right now? Do they know they have mine? Do they care what I think? Do they want to spend time with me? Are they grieved when I am displeased? Are they loyal when Im not watching? LOVE DARE CHALLENGE: Reach out to your children one by one and tell them you want to be closer to them than you are right now. Ask them the questions mentioned near the end of todays chapter, and begin taking steps toward winning and keeping their hearts. (Have I hurt you or wronged you in any way? Are you angry with me? How can I make it right? Help me to understand whats going on inside you) Tough one today - but take this information from a grandmothers heart - hold on to those children - love them, love them, love them. Keep their hearts close to yours and your heart close to Gods. (Jan)
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:20:52 +0000
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