Helping our kids know their identity in Christ is a crucial part of our jobs as Christian parents! Read on to learn a 30-second habit that will help you do this.
My parents named me Christina, but the only time I heard the full name was when my mom was mad at me. Christie was on half my legal documents and Christina on the other half, which caused quite a snarl when I went to apply for a passport.
My parents gave me that name at birth, but that’s not the name God calls me.
Did you know that God has a unique name for you, one that reflects the specific way he made you?
When I was in grade 3, I sat in a group of 3 desks. I was taking charge of a group project and one of the other kids was annoyed. He called me bossy. And you know what? At that moment, I stopped being bossy.
I clammed right up and slowly became a different person.
Quiet.
Unassuming.
Maybe you could see that as a good thing, but in doing so I squelched my leadership skills for many many years. Had I known that my bossiness was a gift from God in disguise, who knows where I’d be now.
You have been called names too. Whether they were pet names or mean names, you remember them. Many of them have defined you. But they are not who God created us to be.
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In the Bible, naming is super important in identity. Children were named things like “gift from God” or, most unfortunately, ““Lo-Ruhamah” which means “not loved” or “Lo-Ammi” which means “not my people”.
In Revelation 2:17 God says “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
In the process of discovering who we are in Christ, we learn to shed the identity the world has placed on our shoulders, and grow into the name and identity that God has given us.
For some of us, he gives us a new name, here on this earth. Others will find their God-names fully revealed only after death. Either way, we and our children have a chance here on earth to grow into the people that we were created to be, to shed those old names, and be given new ones.
The most basic one of our names is “Beloved”. We all wear that one.
One of the best ways to remind our kids of their true identity in God is through praying Biblical blessings over them each night. If you want to learn to pray blessings over your child, join my free 7-day blessings challenge! You’ll learn about the Biblical reasons to bless your child, and receive 7 posters that you can put on your child’s wall to help you remember to bless your child.
Join the challenge by clicking here:
But there’s a second way, aside from blessings, to remind our kids of their true identity in God. As usual, I turn to story.
The other day I read “When God Made You” by Matthew Paul Turner, and I just about couldn’t make it through the book because the message hit ME so personally!
I really can’t rave enough about this book. The rhyming reminds me of Dr. Seuss, except that Turner doesn’t need to make up any words to make it fit. Bring your kleenex box to this book, because mama, you’re gonna tear up!
It starts with a basic “God made you special” message, but morphs into something much deeper, inspiring kids (and me) to become the incredible, loving, life-changing human beings that God intended when he dreamed them up.
“You, you, when God dreams about you, God dreams about all that in you will be true…you being you is God’s dream coming true.”
I would recommend this book for ages 3+. The text and illustrations are engaging for the youngest kids but fascinating enough to hold the interest of my 8 year old son.
One awesome bonus is that the main character in this book is not a white child. I think the book is extra special because of this added dimension of diversity.
You can find this book, “When God Made You” on Amazon or at your local library!
If you like the stories I’ve recommended, you’ll love the 3 stories that I have written especially to engage your child’s imagination and ignite their faith. You can download them for free right here!
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