What a fun month it's been in LizzyLife land! Lots of exciting news to share.

But first things first: Let's talk parenting.
 

One of our biggest jobs as parents is to teach our children to walk with God. Not to be religious. Not to be "good church people." Not even to be "good people." No, we want to teach our children a deep love for God that permeates every aspect of their life. We want to reach their heart, not just their behavior. 

Here are six simple ways we can teach our children to walk with God:

1. This sounds so obvious, but let's devote ourselves to walking with God. How vividly I remember watching my parents walk with God all throughout my growing-up years: Most mornings, if I glanced outside, I would catch a glimpse of my dad disappearing into the woods behind our house for his prayer walk; if I peeked through the French doors of Mom's study, I'd see her sitting there, reading her Bible. They brought God into everything they did—everything our family did. Even as a child I yearned for the kind of closeness with God my parents enjoyed. Now that I have my own family, I treasure the early mornings when my kids stumble into the living room, bleary-eyed and crazy-haired, and snuggle up beside me on the couch as I read and pray. 

2. Pray on the way to school. Before the kids hop out of the car, say a quick prayer for their day. 

3. Try praying any time your family goes anywhere. The Thompson Crazies pray almost every time we go out: when we go to church (ahem, "please, God, help the kids to be friendly and worship you with all their hearts instead of thinking about Pokemon cards"), when we go out to the park ("thank you for a gorgeous day; please help us make new friends and find an open swing"), and when we go out for play dates ("please, God, help the two-year-old not hit anyone").  

4. Make bedtime prayers more meaningful by taking prayer requests from each kid. Ask them if they are worried about something, or if they need God's help with a problem. Let children take turns praying for each other. 

5. When one of your kids comes to you with a problem, don't just give them advice; take it to God in prayer together. It's so liberating to realize that we don't always have to give our kids perfect advice. We won't be able to fix all their problems, and that's okay—but God can always do something to help, even when Mom or Dad are stumped. He might not take the issue away, but he will always give our kids wisdom or strength when they ask for it. Praying about problems teaches kids to bring God into their daily life—even the small issues.

6. Remind children of 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on [God], because he cares for you." We have talked often about this scripture at our house—how God cares about the details of our lives, and he invites us to talk about them with him. What a blessing!

See what I meant by simple? 

Teaching children to walk with God doesn't have to be complicated—it's a matter of consistency, connection, and heart. Let's first model a meaningful walk with God for our children. Then let's take our kids by the hand, and walk together with our God.