.Do you want to impact the world? It seems like a mighty big calling, doesn’t it? Yet we have the tools and resources to do just that in our homes. If you’re a mom the little people inside your home will have their own views of the world one day.
If you don’t believe you have that much impact on your children’s view of the world let’s talk about something. We live in a football country. It’s not as bad as some states where I am told you must declare your loyalties on the birth certificate, but it is pretty bad.
My grandchildren will not drink out of a cup from the rivalry team in our state! ๐ See we teach our children little subtleties all the time without even knowing it. Watch this video. You have to laugh, lol.
We teach our children the view of the world
Teaching the next generation is nothing new. We can look back as far as Adam, the first man, teaching his boys how to honor God. Later on, Moses taught Joshua son of Nun how to take care of the Israelites.
God calls every generation of Christians to see to it that the next generation hears about his mighty acts.
John Piper Talking about parenting.
We are actually called to teach the next generation about the world and this is your chance to make sure your family understands God’s view of humanity and the world.
I remember when I was little my mother used to say she was going to send our leftovers to children that were hungry in India. Who were these children in India? Why were they always hungry? My 6-year-old mind started to formulate ideas about children in India. The ideas of people in other countries and who they were started to formulate.
To Impact the world we need to teach children about the world
Now, I must tell you that I grew up a military brat. Because of my upbringing, I was exposed to a lot more than most people. We did go to other countries. Our parents also took us to refugee camps in Japan and allowed us to visit the Philippines as well as other countries.
Those opportunities mixed with conversations from my father and mother started to formulate ideas about the world in my mind.
Instead of birthday parties and trips to amusement parks, my childhood days were filled with visits to Vietnamese refugee camps in Okinawa as well as nursing homes in upper New York.
What can you teach your children and grandchildren?
We just do not give enough credit to our everyday activities and what children learn by what they see and hear.
I left Walmart one day in the middle of a hot South Carolina summer. There was a man sitting on the curbside that must have had on 10 layers of clothes. I thought I want to do something practical for this man. So, I bought some tangerines, granola bars, and water. I took them over to him and placed them in his bag.
This kind of contact offers all kinds of conversation for parents and children. Without fear, we gave those things to this homeless man. Little people are curious about others. It is so easy to teach negative things about humanity, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
We can take opportunities like this to teach about poverty and homelessness. The conversation is so easy when grace and mercy have really been shown. You can teach your children that we don’t have to know why this person is homeless. Lot’s of things out of their control could have happened, but we can show the love of others by doing and teaching.
What do we not want to teach our children or grandchildren
Sure, we are all busy and it is so easy to ignore the person on the side of a curb needing food. It would have really been easy for my dad to ignore the Vietnamese refugee camp on Saturday morning.
Priorities are priorities and what we value will be taught to our little people. If you want your children to continue to believe they are the only human being that matters, you can easily do that.
It doesn’t take much to instill selfishness and devalue others in our everyday life. You can’t impact the world in your world is inside your four walls. You will have to have the hard conversations in your protected world about others that do not have the same priveledges we have.
Teach a godly view of Men, women children and babies
None of us are going to live forever. The batton is going to be passed on to the next generation. The kind of crusade or batton that your children carry will come from you. How they see other humans that are not like them will also come from you, but it is not a daunting task. So, how can we do it?
Take Vacations to other places
Go somewhere that people do not look like you or live like you. Treat them with kindness and consideration. Make all of your conversations count and be willing to serve others, not like yourself.
You may not have to go very far for your children to see a different world. I have just found that over the years of raising our children our circles got smaller and smaller. All the people in our lives looked just like us. There weren’t much multi-cultural experiences or cross-culture learning. It happens, it is not anyone’s fault.
This is where you will have to be intentional in your exposure and conversations.
Read about other people in other lands
We even like to watch TV and read about ourselves. It is so easy to become egocentric. What happens to us over time? We just start to think the world is just about us. Breakaway from the mold. Find books about other cultures, with other problems, like food and shelter.
Grace, mercy, and compassion can be taught to little ones. They actually learn it quickly and sincerely.
If impacting the world is important to you then start at home
The world needs changing. It is crazy and you can make it even crazier. That is not what we want though. If you really want to impact others’ lives and change the world, start with your home.
Think about all the little things that come out of your mouth and who is listening. Be intentional about the people you pass by that have a need you can meet and when you ignore it what does it teach small eyes watching.
Never think as grandparents we can’t teach the same things. Grandparents can easily add to the impact on children. Then together we will impact the world.
We can teach the view of the world and humanity through God’s view.
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