I am often asked how I get it “all” done. My reply without fail is, “I don’t! I have lots and lots of helpful hands.” Our home and farm life is a direct reflection of 12 individual people coming together with their talents, strengths and yes, weaknesses and using them to the Glory of God! From the moment my children are born we teach them that they have a vital role in the family. Our family can not do all that God has planned for us if we do not all work together in harmony. We continual express the Biblical directive to serve others, esteem others, and to lay down our lives for one another. My husband and I have had to be the first example of this type of love and service. We were created to serve for His Glory and we are honored to do so! In fact in my home, there is no greater honor to strive for than to be called, A Servant of Christ. That is the highest honor that we can attain! Therefore, we must learn to crucify our selfish desires and lay down our lives daily for each other… starting right here in our home! Don’t fool yourself in thinking that your child can be so good and serve so well in public but is quite the opposite in your home. Sometimes you will see this type of “eye service” in children but that is the not the heart work that God desires. If a child truly has a heart of service they will be serving at home first and then in their church, community and the world. If they can not serve in the home then all they do in the public eye is of little worth. Here are some tips on how to train children in service in the home. If you have more to add to the list share them here for others to read. I am sure they are countless ideas! - From infancy teach children they have worth. Give them a task they can do and praise them for a job well done. For example, in our home, children less than a year old are putting their toys away and books back on the shelf. We sit with them and encourage them as they “work” so hard for their family to make the home tidy. We encourage with our words saying things such as, “Good job!” “You’re such a great ‘picker upper’” “Daddy is going to be so blessed by your tidiness!” “What a blessing you are!” “I’m so proud of you” “You are momma’s big helper!” and many other words of encouragement.
- When a child gets distracted we are right there to sing a song on picking up our toys or to direct them back to their task.
- We also lend a helpful hand! If we see a child struggling to carry a load of books up the stairs or difficulty in cleaning up we will quickly say, “Uh oh! Can I help you?” and we quickly rush to their aid. I also say things like, “I am so blessed to help you.”
- We are constantly observing and evaluating each child’s God given talents. When a child is strong in communication we teach them to be in charge of answering the phone, learning to take messages and give them to the appropriate person in a timely and accurate fashion. Having a child in charge of taking phone calls has given me so much time to be able to do other things for my family. When I have a child that loves nature I put them in charge of the garden including all the planning. We of course all work on the garden as a family but that member of the family makes sure we are on schedule for watering, weeding and harvesting. I think you get the idea. Look at your child’s talents and then apply them in the home. You will be blessed by how victoriously your home can operate.
NOTE: I have learned over the years that often a child’s strength appears as a weakness. That is when their talent or strength is misdirected. We will talk about how they can use that character trait for God instead of “self”. For example, a child may have a lot of energy and uses it carelessly causing chaos and disorder. We talk and start apply strategies to use that energy for the good of the home. I’ve found it only takes a little training in this area and as soon as they start to get the positive encouragement and words of appreciation they not only stop causing disorder but actually starting bringing order and victory in our home! It is a fun transformation to watch and be part of.
I better run, I have a busy day ahead!
With much love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood
