In a Facebook post reflecting back over her first year of teaching, my daughter, Cree, made the statement that a flower planted in the right soil blooms, and then she added, “so plant your children in the right soil.” This simple statement made me reflect on raising children as a single mom. Our children already have so much going against them, simply because they are in a household headed by a single mom. It is our job to make sure that our children are planted in the right soil to bloom into responsible adults who love God and love others. How do we make sure that our kids are planted in the best soil possible?
1. We Pray – We need to let our kids see us praying. We need to pray for our kids and with our kids. Encouraging our kids to make prayer lists of their own. Something for them to pray over and that will open their hearts to the needs of others. When we encourage our kids to pray about world events, we are sowing seeds of faith that will bloom as they grow into adults.
2. We Dig into the Bible – We need to read the Bible with our kids, to discuss Sunday sermons with our kids, finding out what they understood and what needs clarification. We need to teach our kids how to apply scripture to their daily lives. When we sow Bible study into the soil of their lives, we will see our children grow into adults who will continue to live by God’s word and will, in turn, plant the word of God into the lives of their children.
Feeling like you need help in a variety of different areas? Parenting? We’ve got you covered. Finances? We’ve got you covered. Emotional & Spiritual Wellness? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Superpack HERE!
3. We Love Others – When we reach out and love others where they are, no matter our differences, we are showing our kids that the love of God is unconditional and does not discriminate. We need to sow into the hearts of our children. Teaching them to love our neighbors and our communities, and they, in turn, will sow that seed into the hearts of others.
4. We Build Community – We need community. God did not make us to live life alone. When we connect with our families and with a church family. We need a village for our kids. When we surround our kids with a community of believers, we are surrounding them with men and women who can disciple them and help them become the men and women of God they are called to be.
5. We Serve Others – Our children need to see us serving others. They need to see us serving our neighbors and our communities. They need to see us serving others who are different than we are. They need to see us serving those who society has tossed aside. When our children see us serving others, and we bring them to serve alongside us, we will sow the seeds of compassion in their hearts. Seeds of compassion that they will pass down to their children.
6. We Forgive and ask Forgiveness – Our children need to see that we are able to forgive those that hurt us and that we are able to ask for forgiveness when we hurt others. If we harbor anger and hatred in our hearts, our kids will grow up to do the same. If we are too prideful to ask for forgiveness when we sin against someone else, our children will never learn to accept responsibility for their own mistakes. We need to be willing to forgive others and seek forgiveness for ourselves when appropriate.
Our children will never be perfect. They will make mistakes, but they will have a better chance at becoming the Godly man or woman that they are called to be if we plant them in the rich soil of good christian values and principles. Flowers bloom in the right soil. What kind of soil are you planting your children in?
Patti Burris has spent the last 19 years raising 5 children to adulthood. She has survived the ups, downs, chaos, and messiness that comes with being a single mom. Patti uses her experiences as a single mom to minister to other single moms. She lives by faith and in her own imperfect way, she is teaching other single moms to do the same. Her greatest joy is when other single moms find that hope that can only be found in Jesus. She is a certified Biblical lay counselor and a certified Christian life coach. She is the author of God Is: A Seven-Week Bible Study For Single Moms. Patti lives in Valdosta, Georgia with her daughter, Kiowa. You can find Patti at www.pattiburris.com.
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
