Have you ever thought it’s impossible to train your children in the way of the Lord as a Christian African Mama in Diaspora? Maybe not impossible but you have struggled with the idea and even wondered how to go about it? Well, meet Debbie Taiwo. A Mom of 2 Kids (Jason 9yrs and Daniella 7yrs) and Content Creator @kidsinthetruth based in Ontario, Canada. She is teaching her kids how to spend time with God. She shared 5 powerful tips. One thing we @inlushmeadowkids love about her approach to “Devotion Time” as she calls it, is the fact that it is open to the Holyspirit’s leading, dynamic and of course fun! We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did! Enjoy!
The big picture for me has always been for my kids to Love God and help them realize how much they need Him. My goal at every devotion is to get the conversation about Jesus started & follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as the discussion unfolds.
Over the years, the format of our devotion has been dynamic and has evolved. We have had times of just singing or watching Christian cartoons (Superbook etc) or reading bible stories together, using memory verse flash cards and sometimes a mix of it all.
Of course, Quiet times aren’t exactly so quiet😄. Here are I few tips I have learnt (and I’m still learning)
- Rely on the Holy spirit to prepare their hearts and speak to them. Pray before devotion times.
- Kids will be kids: they get bored and distracted easily. So I keep devotion time short.
- Relate the lesson of the day to their everyday life. Use examples they can relate to when teaching them (eg we use examples of their schools/classes, their friend’s names in our makeup stories).
I try not to reprimand them for their past mistakes during devotion times so that they don’t begin to see devotion as time as a “scolding session” (but of course we may bring up issues that need to be worked on)
Debbie Taiwo
- Being patient yet firm to ensure decorum during devotion as they learn spiritual disciplines like closing their eyes while praying
- Get ready to switch things up: If they start getting tired of a particular routine, find other ways to make it interesting. It could be a change of the devotion time or venue. (I remember there was a time always had sweets and treats during devotion which made the kids look forward to it. )
- Also be ready to change materials and resources if they seem bored with a particular devotional / cartoon etc, switch it up! Change it to something different. Variety keeps devotion time interesting.
- Having a humble heart: Get ready to learn from your kids too!
“When one teaches, two learn.” – Robert Heinlein
Thank you so much Debbie Taiwo for sharing these powerful tips with us! Debbie is the Lead Content Creator @kidsinthetruth
Inlush Meadows – We are on a mission to help Christian African Parents in Diaspora find relatable, Christian colourful & exciting resources on their parenting journey. Please follow us on @inlushmeadowskids for more resources for kid and moms.