Small Talk: GIVEAWAY and Spotlight #2
This week, I am giving away a free, signed copy of Small Talk: Learning from My Children about What Matters Most by Amy Julia Becker. The book is divided into 29 chapters, each of which focuses on a theological topic as it relates to parenting.
Yesterday through tomorrow, I'm sharing snippets of Amy Julia's book with you. These are snippets that I found particularly poignant and meaningful. They also help to demonstrate her style, which is a subtle mix of theological reflection and real life vignettes.
The topic I chose for today is KINDNESS from her chapter with the same name. Amy Julia writes:
"It wasn't until I wanted to teach my children how to be kind that I realized kindness can't really be taught. Only then did I notice that in the Bible kindness is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. It's not something we can will or create; it's something that emerges from an organic relationship with God in which God is dwelling within us and transforming our faults and failings and making us into ones who more fully act and think like his children.
Perhaps I can give my kids a foundation for kindness by teaching them to follow some basic rules - share; don't grab; use your words. Perhaps I can build on that foundation by explaining how God has been kind to me and to them, in loving us when we are unlovable, again and again. Perhaps then we will all begin to respond to the gentle nudges of the Spirit. Perhaps then we will become kind, not in random ways, but in a sustained way."
As a parent, I have sought to foster kindness in my children. But I have never prayed that God would augment that fruit of the Spirit in my children's hearts. Have you? After reading this, I plan to!
Yesterday through tomorrow, I'm sharing snippets of Amy Julia's book with you. These are snippets that I found particularly poignant and meaningful. They also help to demonstrate her style, which is a subtle mix of theological reflection and real life vignettes.
The topic I chose for today is KINDNESS from her chapter with the same name. Amy Julia writes:
"It wasn't until I wanted to teach my children how to be kind that I realized kindness can't really be taught. Only then did I notice that in the Bible kindness is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. It's not something we can will or create; it's something that emerges from an organic relationship with God in which God is dwelling within us and transforming our faults and failings and making us into ones who more fully act and think like his children.
Perhaps I can give my kids a foundation for kindness by teaching them to follow some basic rules - share; don't grab; use your words. Perhaps I can build on that foundation by explaining how God has been kind to me and to them, in loving us when we are unlovable, again and again. Perhaps then we will all begin to respond to the gentle nudges of the Spirit. Perhaps then we will become kind, not in random ways, but in a sustained way."
As a parent, I have sought to foster kindness in my children. But I have never prayed that God would augment that fruit of the Spirit in my children's hearts. Have you? After reading this, I plan to!
Register to win your copy of Small Talk by scrolling down to find the entry form or by clicking here. The contest will end at 12 pm EST tomorrow. All entrants will receive an invitation to join my email listserv - just click on the link that will come in your email if you want to accept! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next snippet on LAUGHTER as a kind of family medicine...Don't miss it!
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