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Object Lessons from Life

“It is more important for your child to be who he should be than know what he should know. “

Knowledge is important, but character trumps that. If you teach your child to manage time well, work hard, and love learning (and if you teach him HOW to learn), he can conquer any learning curve ahead in the future. If, however, you teach him knowledge without character or the skills above, he will be hard-pressed to continue learning new skills as an adult.

 

We use object lessons from daily life to mold our children’s character, foster a love for God, and inspire a love for learning. Every little circumstance and observance is a chance to learn about life, God, and ourselves.

Object Lessons from Life:

  • Someone trips over a stone:  a sin we consider very small can cause great damage and downfall.
  • Salt and pepper on a bland dish at dinner: the Lord wants us to season our words with grace to make them easier for others to swallow.
  • Choosing healthy foods over sugary snacks: be discerning about the choices we make. Do we think ahead ahead to the results of our decisions, and are we making wise choices?
  • Boiling spaghetti noodles: the Lord sometimes takes those he loves through a trying time of “hot water” so our hearts become tender and of benefit to those around us.
  • Gift giving: a gift comes as an unexpected surprise reminding us that God loves us — not because of our behavior or it is deserved, but because of his goodness and great love for us.
  • Honey on a cracker: reminds us God’s word is sweeter than honey to our souls and sustains our spiritual bodies.
  • A project that must be done in steps: reminds us God is a God of order.  When we follow his commands, we can see the beauty at the end of the process.
  • An army of ants in the yard:  a chance to stop and observe God’s creation to learn from them as they work diligently, work together, care for one another, and store up food. God uses them as an example of a great worth ethic.
  • Cleaning the smudges off the window: God wants to wash us clean with the water of the Word.
  • Adding food coloring to pancakes (or cupcakes or cookie dough): a lesson about how what we take into our minds changes us. We need to carefully guard what we allow into our hearts and minds.
  • A bird’s song on a cool, wet spring morning: a  reminder to be thankful and sing praise to God for our blessings. The bird was outside, wet and cold, but still sings for another day and a bright sun to warm him.

There are so many more object lessons from life we can use as teaching opportunities. Everywhere you look, you see examples of God’s love, his greatness, and his principles for life. You just need to be mindful as you look around you.

Ask the Lord to help you look for those object lessons of life.

Ask for eyes to see the lesson and the words to share it with your child. It only takes a few extra seconds to do it.  When done consistently, you teach your child to be one who expects to see God show up in mundane moments of life. These moment-by-moment conversations develop their desire to share the same lessons with others.

 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:7

 

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