The Best Place To Start In Parenting The Heart Of Your Child

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This is class 1 of HOW TO START PARENTING THE HEART OF YOUR CHILD: FREE PARENTING CLASS

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Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise. Family is ministry. – Andy Stanley

Mama, did you catch that?

I’m betting even if you’re an overwhelmed, crazy busy, hot mess of a Mom (much like I’ve been) you have a prompting in your heart that knows this quote is true.

Below the surface, you believe that parenting is more than just making sure they are “taken care of” and “alive” (although some days that’s a HUGE win 🙂 ) Deep down, you long to truly connect with your child and see them develop a thriving personal relationship with the Lord.

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Mama, I hear your heart.

As I’ve prayed through each step of this 5 part online parenting class, I’ve asked God how best to lead you towards Him in your parenting. I’ve been in His word and sought Godly wisdom to come up with the 5 most important Things You Should Do In Parenting The Heart Of Your Child. During this time, He has instructed my own heart, in many ways.

For starters, He reminded me of something He has taken me back to often.

When I quit my quiet time.

The Best Place To Start In Parenting The Heart Of Your Child

I said I was too busy.

I justified it daily. My husband worked a lot and late and 4 of my 5 kids were ages 5 and under. I was working data entry full time from home and attempting to homeschool K and Pre K.

It was a busy season, yes, but this one morning, in particular, was extra crazy. I woke to a screaming fight between two of them, peeled another off of me in bed and headed out to do battle.

As I walked down the (literal) long hallway in our L shaped apartment I realized I was preparing for battle.

But it was the wrong battle.

Find Out How To Start Parenting The Heart Of Your Child in this 5 Part Free Parenting Class on Like Minded Musings

I was determined to find out what the screaming was and stop it. I was prepared to clean up the mess on the floor from my “I’m going to potty train myself” toddler. I would wrangle nursing while working and attempting to school my little ones that day.

I would press on. I would keep going. I would be a super mom.

I would fight to move ahead- all in my own strength. I told God I didn’t have time to fit in quiet time each day. I fully believed it and I was ok with it.

Until that morning when He convicted my heart.

He reminded me that my own best efforts in parenting through my own strength would never, ever be His best for me.

I needed His strength to start parenting well.

I needed a lot of His strength, which only comes through spending time with Him in His word and prayer.

Now hold on with me Mama.

In case you don’t know me well yet, I am not one to say you have to do quiet time a certain way or for a certain length of time in order for it “to count”.

In fact, that is one of the lies that the enemy uses to keep us Moms away from quiet time. My focus instead was getting in time with the Lord wherever I could. In the pockets of my day.

Some days it came first thing and others it was bedtime. There were also times where it was done in the pockets in between:

Some seasons it looked like working through a Bible reading plan. Others were meditating on just one verse.
There was Bible Journaling or simply listening to the Bible being read to me on an app.
Your quiet time can be done with your children in studying His word together.
Or it’s finding out a new method of Bible study that stirs up your heart and love for God’s word after a dry spell.

And those are just some ideas!

No matter what though, it was when I spent time with God consistently that my parenting began to change.

Gaining His perspective and wisdom in how to handle “our crazy” only came through prayer and His word.

And the beautiful part is that the very same thing prepares you for all that is ahead in parenting. There are today, tomorrow and eternal benefits!

Find Out The Best Place To Start In Parenting The Heart Of Your Child- Join the FREE Parenting Class!

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So your challenge today is just that.

To pray that God would help you be intentional about daily time with Him.
To map out a plan of what that looks like (think of what time of day, what book in the Bible, reading plan, resource or devotional you will use, even where you will sit – or hide LOL to have your time with Him!)
Pray that from that you would begin to parent from His overflow in your heart.

Heart-based parenting needs to start with our hearts first!

Once you have taken the steps above, please do this…

Tell someone. Accountability is a good thing.

Leave a comment and tell me your plan, send me an email or text in the messenger chat in the bottom right corner. Tell a friend or join us in the Like Minded Musings Imperfect Moms Private Facebook Group for accountability, connection and encouragement in Faith, Family and Homeschool!