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Parenting by Design - March 25

Spiritual muscles

1 Tim. 4:7-8: Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (NIV).

Participating in sports can provide valuable lessons. Delayed gratification, self-control, and self-discipline are just a few. But imagine if parents were as interested in training their kids to be godly as they were about training them to excel in sports? What might that look like?

Is the Word of God as exciting to you as your child hitting a homerun or scoring a goal? Unless you have a genuine love for God's truth, you will have a hard time passing that on to your kids. Glory on the playing field is fleeting, but the benefits of godliness are eternal. Show your kids where your true passion lies by telling stories of God's faithfulness, leading the family in prayer, coming up with creative ways to teach the Bible, and, most of all, providing an example of godly behavior.

Schedule regular spiritual exercise for your family.