An Inheritance of Joy

3 John 1:3-4

Verse 4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

    There is no one more important to share the joy of Christ with than our children.  If they don’t know they can have joy in Him when things aren’t going as smoothly as they want, the will be finding false joy to be holding onto in the hard times.  They may turn to things or people who will lead them away from the truth of Christ.

    Children learn about how to deal with life by watching the adults in their lives.  They watch and take note of the level of stress each situation brings us and they monitor how we deal with it.  They may not be able to articulate the difference, but they know if you are responding or reacting to an issue.  And as much as we don’t like to think about it, they will reflect our style of dealing with problems.

    We may not think much about the struggles in our children’s lives because they seem so small in comparison to our trials, but the truth is they can be big in their minds.  The upcoming test could have them doubting they are smart enough because they didn’t do as well as they thought they should have last time.  Or maybe the new kid at school has them frustrated because the newbie is being rude because they don’t yet fit in.

Both of those scenarios seem minor to us, but given the grown-up versions of those same problems – evaluation at work or a meeting with the boss and the person at work that is driving us mad – and we are no longer thinking they are small things.  It is how our children hear us discussing these situations which will be teaching them how to deal with their own issues.

    If we handle them while displaying the joy of the Lord, they will learn to look to Him when they are fighting with life.  Instead of reacting in the heat of the moment we can vocalize and act upon our trust in the Lord.  When we find Him faithful just as He always has been, they will see the benefits of finding our joy in Him.  And there is no greater joy than our children finding the joy of Christ.

Making It Personal

    Are you someone who reacts or responds?  How do you try to show the joy of Christ to the children in your life?  What child in your life needs to know the joy of Christ?

Making It Personal Kids

    What things stress you?  How do you deal with that stress?  How could Jesus help you deal with the things that come up in life?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for being able to pass Your joy onto the children in our lives.  Help us point to You in all circumstances.  In Jesus’ name, amen.