Intentional Parenting Sample

A Legacy of Joy

What will your children remember most about you? How busy you were? The kind of house you lived in? The standards they could never measure up to?

Or will they remember the good times? 

The answer to those questions rests entirely on your shoulders. But the good news is exactly the same—the answers are up to you. 

No place should represent the joy of God’s kingdom more than homes and families. 

Your kids can remember family discord, nagging, stress, and busyness if those experiences stand alone. But if you have good times together, those memories will stand far above the rest.

Intentional parenting is hard work, but it should never be only hard work. If your kids don’t have fun at home with you, they’ll look for fun somewhere else. They need it. To be honest, so do you. And the best place to cultivate that laughter and joy is in the relationships that mean the most.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4).

Jesus promised to give rest to those who come to Him. Take Him up on that. In the midst of your busy schedule and parenting challenges, take time to celebrate. Enjoy family traditions. Capture family memories. Go ahead and let your kids roll their eyes at your lame humor. They will remember it all fondly. 

And one day when they think of the joy of God’s kingdom, you will come to mind as its clearest example.