When I saw this profound quote from Pastor Andy Stanley, I had to take some time to pause and reflect on it. So often, we strive to do things because we believe these acts would be great contributions to the Kingdom of God. That of course is all wonderful and necessary. But, right under our noses are our children, who should be our greatest contributions to the Kingdom.

Psalm 123:7 tells us that children are a gift from the Lord and are to be considered a reward from Him. In return, we are to acknowledge that and raise them to contribute to the Kingdom. To raise Kingdom children takes a lot of effort, determination, and skill, especially in these times. There is so much that pulls us as parents in every direction and attempts to get us to conform to the world’s way of doing things. And, it is the same for our children. As Christians, raising godly children takes time and dedication as we are fighting a battle against the norms of this world.

As this year closes and a new one is on the horizon, I implore parents to commit to spending more time with their children and teaching them what God wants and needs them to teach. As a mother of two, I understand that this can be challenging but we have the Lord to direct and comfort us.