teaching the children – Growing Up in the Lord https://growingupinthelord.com Surfing The Waves Sat, 03 Oct 2026 03:52:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 Teaching the Children: Independence Day https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-independence-day/ https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-independence-day/#respond Fri, 04 Jul 2025 03:43:50 +0000 https://growingupinthelord.com/?p=4830 “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” These words begin the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, setting the tone for not only the rest of the document but also the ideals it expressed. The document continues by stating that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration grounds these rights beyond kings and governments, identifying the Creator as their source. This belief echoes the biblical truth found in Genesis 1:27, that every person is created in the image of God with inherent dignity, value, and purpose. Freedom, however, is not a license to do whatever we want. It is an opportunity to do what is right. Galatians 5:13 explains this clearly: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” The Bible distinguishes between two kinds of freedom. There is self-serving freedom that leads to destruction. 2 Peter 2:19 warns: “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” Scripture also points us toward freedom in Christ. True freedom sets us free from sin so we can live in righteousness. John 8:36 offers this hope: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Freedom is not just physical or political. It is also moral and spiritual. For Christians, the greatest freedom is not independence at all. It is found in surrender and dependence on a just and holy God.

The Responsibility of Freedom

In our home, traditions on the Fourth of July often include time with family, fellowship with our congregation, and the occasional fireworks show. We take time to read from the Declaration and talk about its meaning, reminding our children that freedom is a gift, not a guarantee. Freedom is a choice and a privilege. True freedom is not about personal indulgence. It is about loving God and loving others. Galatians 5:1 says: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” In our family, the cost of freedom is not just a history lesson. It is personal. My husband is a veteran. He has served to protect the very freedom we now teach our children to value. We understand that freedom is never free. Freedom is precious and priceless. Freedom in Christ calls us to serve. It calls us to truth. It calls us to live lives that reflect the values of the One who set us free. ]]> https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-independence-day/feed/ 0 Teaching the Children: Friendship https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-friendship/ https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-friendship/#respond Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:26:59 +0000 https://growingupinthelord.com/?p=4827 No inhibitions. No prejudices. Nothing to prove. As I watched a group of 3–7-year-olds during Bible class, I witnessed the beauty of connection. Children of different backgrounds and skin tones sat shoulder to shoulder, holding hands during the puppet show. No one told them to do it. They simply did what felt natural. Throughout the forty-five-minute class, they experienced connection to the Bible lesson and to one another. Friendships at this age might only last the length of a class or a week of VBS, but sometimes, these humble and simple beginnings grow. What if we kept some of that openness with us throughout our lives? I’m not saying everyone you meet should be a close friend, but we have no reason to greet new people with animosity, distrust, or an agenda. Yet how often do we live that way as we grow into adulthood? Somewhere along the way, we lose the simplicity of asking, “Hi, want to play?” or “Let’s sit together.” Instead of enjoying the opportunity of the moment, we seek barriers to relationship. What if our adult relationships weren’t filtered through status, suspicion, or self-interest, but through the lens of shared presence and curiosity? Children aren’t perfect, but in moments like the one above, they remind us of something we often forget as adults: we were made for connection. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” As we grow, experience teaches us to be more guarded. We learn to protect ourselves based on our experiences. We start to divide by differences and assume motives in everyone we meet. Jesus repeatedly drew His followers’ attention to children, even placing a child among them when they argued about who was greatest (Matthew 18:1–5). While we are also instructed to guard our hearts and minds, we don’t have to barricade ourselves against relationships. What if the secret to deep friendships is childlike openness? Imagine workplaces, communities, congregations, and even social media outlets where our first instinct was to hold hands, not build fences. What would change if we saw every new introduction as an opportunity to say, “Let’s be friends”? The next time you meet someone new, lead with curiosity, kindness, and a love that doesn’t need to be earned. Perhaps a simple “hello” can turn a stranger into a lifelong friend.   ]]> https://growingupinthelord.com/teaching-the-children-friendship/feed/ 0