But let all who take refuge in You be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Surely, Lord, You bless the righteous;
You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.
Psalms 5:11-12
My children are five and three years old respectively. They are the light of my world. I wear a necklace which has a birth charm for each of them (you know, the little boy and little girl charms that have their birth stones.) When my husband got me that one, I hardly ever took it off. However, I did eventually get bored and changed the necklace out. This past Christmas my husband got me a silver cross that I have not taken off since December 25 (except for when I had my wisdom teeth pulled).
This cross necklace has come in handy over the last few months. When our son was around the same age our daughter is now, we started teaching him about what the Cross stood for, and now we have started teaching our daughter the same. They both know that it stands for Jesus and His death. Now we are starting to work on the “why” with both—more so with the oldest. If they can start learning their letters and how to read before the age of five, they can start learning about Jesus.
By helping them learn now, we hope and pray that they each will accept their own shield of faith before they can really be influenced by peer pressure and the outside world. While they are this young, we still have some control over what parts of the outside world they see. Hopefully by teaching them young, they will come to know how to seek out God’s protection before they hit their teen years. They will need discernment to know right from wrong. They will be able to spread the joy of God to those around them and be a good influence wherever they go.
I already pray daily that God protects them with His shield. They are little and young. They do not fully understand how the outside world works. Hopefully we can equip them to be able to rejoice in the Lord and seek His protection when they are older and begin to spread their own wings. May they be able to sing for joy to God when they do.
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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings and protection You give our family. We seek to do right in Your eyes and to sing for joy in Your presence. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
About laurapattillo
Laura, thank you for sharing how you are instilling God’s Truth and Love into your children’s lives. When my grandchildren were too young to understand Christ’s death, I taught them that the cross represents Christ’s love. When we’d see a heart I’d ask, “What does the heart mean?” Grand’s response, “Nana loves me.” When we’d see a cross I’d ask, “What does the cross mean?” Grand’s response, “Jesus loves me.” Now the youngest is 5 1/2 and before Easter she drew a picture of Jesus on the cross. She has the foundation of knowing His love, and is beginning to understand the reason that He had to go to the cross. Yes, even the simple teachings that we give young children now will be their shield and protection throughout their lives.
I’m praying your prayer as well.
good job (you&michael) with your little ones! they are growing up with a legacy of knowing that God is their shield and refuge! <3
I love all these ideas. Lately I have been hearing many testimonies of people that were heavily influenced by their grandparents. Our role of importance in the little ones’ lives never ends.