This week we are honored to have Becky Hastings join us as a guest poster. I hope you enjoy her post on Filling Your Kids with Truth.

Fill ‘Em Up: Filling Your Kids with Truth

By Becky Hastings

This parenting gig is hard.

Can I get an Amen?

I love parenting. I really do, and I may or may not have possibly typed a question mark at the end of that last sentence. As a parent I want nothing but the best for my kids, and in a perfect world I know exactly what that is.

But we’re not in a perfect world, are we? After all, in a perfect world we wouldn’t still be doing laundry. So.much.laundry. If only laundry were the worst of it.

With the diaper and spit-up years behind me I thought it would be easy. And in some ways it is. The independence is amazing and beautiful and — terrifying. Because now the kids are not my babies, they are becoming people. Real people that interact with the world when I’m not there to oversee it and protect them. And that is scary. But that does not render us helpless.

Here are 3 ways you can fill your kids with God’s truth to help them in a messy world.

1. Know your limits.

We like to be there for our kids and do everything and tell them it will always be that way. But the truth is, it won’t. We will not be there all the time. We can’t do it all. But that doesn’t mean they are alone. Admitting our humanity to our kids leaves room for them to grasp God’s sovereignty.

Instead of telling our kids we are everything they need, introduce them to the One who can really fill those shoes. Remind them of who God is in their life. Three of my favorite, simple reminders are:

• Deuteronomy 31:6 — Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
• Philippians 4:13 — I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
• Jeremiah 29:11 — For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

2. The World is Messy.

Pretending the world is all rainbows and unicorns will only prove to disappoint our kids. God is clear about what this world is, and what it is not. First, it’s going to be hard and uncomfortable at times. Hard and uncomfortable is okay. We don’t need to be scared of it because God is always with us. He equips us and gives us all we need, even if we don’t understand it.

And this world is not heaven. It isn’t supposed to be. We are meant to long for a beautiful, perfect place that He has prepared for us. It’s exciting to think of all that is to come, especially when things here feel hard. That’s not to say there is no beauty here, but it is only a glimpse of all that He has for us. Be grateful for the beauty here and keep our eyes on what’s to come.

3. Define them.

We have the ability to lay a foundation for our kids to understand who they are. This isn’t about career paths or skills or abilities. This is a foundation rooted in God’s truth about who they are as His kids.

Fill your kids up so much with truth about who God says they are that when someone is unkind or says something mean your child has a hard time believing that person. If our kids understand their identity in Christ nothing anyone says will take that away. Fill them with the truth of who they are in Christ.

Before you go, you should know something. You’re not going to get this right all the time. We’re going to mess up and yell and make mistakes. Nothing we do or say will push our kids beyond God’s grasp. Love them the best you can and remember God has them. Always.

Becky believes in embracing grace in the messy real of life. At My Ink Dance, she captures hard, uncomfortable, often unspoken feelings and brings light, honesty and God’s truth to them in a relatable way. Becky is a wife and mother of three in Connecticut writing imperfect and finding faith along the way.

Website: My Ink Dance – http://www.myinkdance.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/MyInkDance

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MyInkDance

Thoughts to ponder: What are ways that you remind your children of God’s truth, love, and grace? Please be sure to leave your thoughts and visit Becky’s blog to support and encourage her this week!

Now on to our weekly linkup! First let’s:

Last Week’s Top Clicked Post!

Inspirational Easter Storybooks + Hands-on Devotional & Activity

By Brandi Raae

When I select my favorite, I sometimes look over the linkup and just choose what I think is the best post for the upcoming holiday season. With Easter so close, I clicked on Brandi’s post without realizing she wrote it. I loved it and even though she is my co-host, this post is definitely my favorite for the week. With Easter just  three weeks away, she featured really lovely books. Plus, I have never heard of Resurrection Eggs. I love these. Be sure to check out her post which includes affiliate links.

Remember to check out other hosts’ blogs to see which posts from last week were their favorites. Want to be the next to be featured! Just link up a post and if you are read the most, we will feature you. Also please make sure you link back to us so others will know about our link up and join in. We try to make it worth your while to linkup with us by promoting your posts across our social media networks. We also pin our most clicked and featured posts to our Pinterest Board each week!

Now, it is time to link up to the Literacy Musing Mondays hop!

Linkup Rules:

1. Include a link back or the blog hop button linked to this hop on your posts.
2. Link up the urls to your posts not to your blog.
3. Please remember this is a family-friendly linkup. Although we believe in the right for adults to read whatever they want to read, we prefer to read wholesome posts that feature literature that edify and uplift families. We reserve the right to delete any posts that are not family friendly. We love all kinds of literature and genres including family-friendly inspirational romances, fantasy, or science fiction. We do not welcome any posts that feature excessive violence, sexual content, or any cursing. This rule also applies to book review posts that feature books that are not family-friendly. These posts will be deleted without notice to the blogger or explanation. While we believe in the right for all adults to read whatever they want, we feel our linkup is for family-friendly posts only. Thank you for understanding.
4. We also want to be loving community by supporting one another. Please make a point to do this this week! Visit the two posts before yours and at least one other blogger’s post of your choice! I want to see lots of clicks on everyone’s posts. Remember it is also nice to follow them on their social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
5. Follow your hosts and co-hosts on their social media.
6. Tweet about the link up too.

I will also be joining great hops listed on my linkup parties page.