Spiritual Blogs
13 Confidence-Building Scriptures for Kids and Teens
Sometimes it feels like the whole world is on a mission to beat down our kids’ confidence. Maybe they are teased by a friend or a sibling; maybe they don’t get the encouragement they crave from a teacher or coach; maybe their own insecurities constantly whisper, “You’re not enough.” And yet, when God created our children, he created them as his masterpiece; when he was finished, he stepped back and said to himself, “Oh, this one is very, very good.”
Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist
In my mind, I can often have a perfect picture of what things should be. What I look like; what my relationship and our story should be; what my career trajectory should be. Yet it’s a facade, one I cannot live up to. It only frustrates me and those exposed to it.
James 4:2-3″ You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
When I hold onto my picture of perfection too tightly, I lose sight of God’s perspective. It can ultimately leave me devastated and unforgiving for longer than I care to admit. It results in me being more upset about the stain on my picture than the stain of my sins. Sins which include being overly critical at work, unforgiving and assuming the worst of those I love, and being unkind to myself or others because they messed up how I wanted things to be.
1 Samuel 16:7 “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God calls me to lay down my pursuits, along with the disappointments and burden they bring, and rest in Him. He calls me to see beauty and perfection through His eyes. He calls me to trust his way over my own.
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13 “Back-to-School” Scriptures for Kids
If your family is like ours, right now you’re scrambling to fill out 3,476 back-to-school forms, just as you realize that every kid’s shoes are too tight and their jeans are too short, and you need to buy $978 worth of pencils and glue sticks. In between fears that you’ll need a second mortgage to help you pay for it all, and wondering why oh why we can’t just fill out the forms online once for the whole family, you’re scratching your head and wondering what happened to summer.
26 Questions Parents Should Ask about Technology
Every other day, my kids come home from school talking about the next new thing in technology:
“His dad got a smartphone, and it has this cool app!"
“Their mom got a tablet, and she lets them play on this awesome website!"
“This game system does this and that video game does that!“
The ever-changing technological landscape is one of the greatest challenges modern parents face. The number of decisions we have to make about our kids’ access to devices and social media is staggering, and it changes so fast it sets our heads spinning. Just when we think we have a handle on our kids’ relationship to technology, some new device comes along. Every time something new comes up, we have to re-evaluate what works and doesn’t work for our family, and for each of our kids as individuals.
Is It Time for a Showdown with Your Kid?
The first part of this article applies best to young preschoolers (ages two, three, and four); the questions in the second half will be helpful in parenting older children as well.
The scene: a middle-of-nowhere McDonald’s where our family has stopped for a bathroom-and-snack break while traveling.
The surface issue: a bib.
The real issue: Who is in charge—me or my 2-year-old.
Me to my 2-year-old: “You can have some ice cream like the big kids, but you have to wear a bib.”
2-year-old: “NO! No bib!” (Begins crying and tugging at bib.)
Me to myself, glancing around at all the McDonalds customers who are pretending not to stare at us: Okay, I have a decision to make. Do I let her take off the bib, or do I stick to my guns?I could just make her start over and ask calmly and respectfully if she can take off the bib, and then let her take it off, but . . . sigh. This time I need to stick to my guns. First,she’s been fighting me a lot lately. Not good.Second, I don’t want her getting ice cream all over her shirt before we get back in the car. Third, she needs to know that she doesn’t get her way by pitching fits. Fourth, she needs to learn that she doesn’t always get her way, period.
Cleansing Power of Jesus
What does hairspray, a bar of soap, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser have in common? It all started with me gathering laundry. And then I found it—an epic ink pen explosion on Dave’s Marc Anthony jeans.
On the right leg, there was a deep purple Rorschach ink design with splatters going outward. I gasped. No…not Dave’s favorite jeans.
I took a can of hairspray and went to war. As I sprayed, I blotted the deep purple ink into an old white cloth. Ha, I’m making progress…I thought, still naïve.
When I lifted the jeans I realized I had made an epic mistake. By not putting a cloth inside the pant leg, I had transferred the stain onto the back of the jeans. I sighed, saddened, but not ready to give up.
Twenty minutes later, I was out of hairspray and time. I cleaned up the mess and decided to let the jeans sit for a day. You see, I had recently resolved to try to fix things instead of replacing them. Little did I know that the stain had a costly lesson to give me.
Calling in Reinforcements
The next morning, I pulled out the damp jeans and spread them on the kitchen counter. It was time to call for help. When Dave saw the stain he sighed. “Wow, that looks bad. I don’t know honey.”
“Please help me,” I said. “I need your strong arms.” We quickly moved to straight rubbing alcohol, pouring it straight on the stain and blotting until our arms ached.Yet, when I finally pulled the pocket out we realized that it was full of purple as well. “Honey, the ink is in the very fibers of the jeans,” Dave said sadly. Yet we pressed on.
Finally, after 45 minutes of us laboring together, Dave had a brilliant idea—to soak the stained spot in a combination of boiling water, white vinegar and rubbing alcohol.
After a ten-minute soak, I drained off the light purple water, to find only a small stain remained. I whispered a prayer for victory.
Suddenly, Isaiah 1:18 came to mind.
“Come now let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
I stopped dead in my tracks, stunned. I realized I had a precious opportunity to understand sin and forgiveness in a new way. You see, even more so than purple ink, scarlet dye has incredible sticking power.
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Trying to Outpace God
There are moments in our life where we are truly aware of our humanity, our frailty and our inability to control anything. These moments give me perspective on how little control I actually have. These moments bring me to my knees before God and help me to put my faith and trust in Him over myself.
Romans 10:17 “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
The older I get in my faith the more I see my need for God, the need to spend more time in His word, to drop to my knees and cry out to Him more and rely on Him over myself. To seek strength in Him over myself. Ironically, when I was younger I thought it would be the opposite, that over time I would need less, because I’d be better, stronger, and wiser. There were so many instances when I was sure “I knew”, now I just know better.
Lately, all the circumstances in my life have shown me how much I need to mature as a disciple of Christ and as a leader. How much more guarded I need to be with my words and opinions because they can potentially hurt the faith of those around me. I need more faith in accepting and accomplishing the little things in my day-to-day and greater faith to get me through the darkest, hopeless times. This faith is fueled by my increased time in God’s word and my belief in its power not only for myself but for others. It is the ultimate source of wisdom for all circumstances.
Two-Minute Devotionals: Teaching Kids Compassion and Confidence
My kids and I love doing “two-minute devotions” around the breakfast table before school. While they are eating breakfast, I grab my Bible and we all discuss a scripture for a few minutes. We don’t do these devotions every day, but when we do, we all leave for school and work more focused on God, and more connected to each other. I try to keep these devotions super simple, limited to one scripture and one basic thought that we can all carry with us throughout the day.
Here are three two-minute devotions on the topics of confidence and compassion:
1. The Eye in the Sky
Are your kids having trouble with something—friend problems, test anxiety, a situation at school they don’t know how to handle? Encourage them with 2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” What an encouragement! What an image! I can almost picture God putting big binoculars on, stationing himself high in the sky, and scanning the earth to spot all the people who love him and need his help. And then when he finds them—in their classrooms, in their homes, on the playground—he gives them strength and wisdom to help them serve him, do right, and find joy. With younger kids, you can have a lot of fun with this idea: Where are some of the places you want God to watch over you during the day? Do you think God sees you when you eat your snack? Put on your socks? Spill your juice? Share with a friend? When my kids and I discussed this passage, they all left for school walking tall and smiling big, confident that God’s eyes were upon them.
Finish Strong
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Gabriela "Gaby" Andersen-Schiess ran in the women’s marathon in the 1984 Olympics. Twenty minutes after the winner, Joan Benoit, crossed the finish line, Gaby staggered into the stadium. The crowd gasped in horror and disbelief when they saw her. Something was evidently wrong—badly wrong.
Gaby’s body was twisted, her left arm hung limp, and her right leg was seized. Realizing that she was in the throes of heat exhaustion, the medical personnel started out on the track to offer her assistance. To everyone’s dismay, she waved them off, knowing that if they touched her, she would be disqualified from the race—a race that seemed impossible for her to finish.
After an excruciating 5 minute 44 second final lap, she fell across the finish line and received medical help. Thankfully within a couple of hours, she was revived and doing well.
The apostle Paul was fond of racing metaphors when he spoke of the need to persevere in our faith and commitment to Jesus, no matter what difficulties we may face—physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Read more at Mind Change Moments
Obedience – It’s Not What You May Think It Is
It’s not hard to agree with those we trust. Trust breeds respect and vice versa. Obedience to God is about such a trust. It’s me trusting and serving Him no matter what, in full assurance that he will take care of my needs – whether financial, emotional, physical or otherwise. Just because things aren’t going the way I planned doesn’t mean they aren’t going the way they should. I need to remember not to lose myself in what is temporary because no one has seen and no one has heard what God has prepared for me. Unfortunately, in a given moment, I do forget.
Isaiah 64:4 “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”
Obedience is a way for me to honor the God who saved me. Other words for obedience, that don’t chafe so much: compliance, agreement, or simply, respect. It doesn’t earn me his love, he already gifted that to me, by His grace.
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