Five Best Practices: 5 P’s for Raising A Child in Faith

   It has been said that our children are the message we send to the future … a future we may never see.  Here are the Five P’s -- or Practices -- that have helped me raise my children to become stronger, more capable and “faith-full” adults:  Those practices are Praise, Purpose, Presence, Perseverance and Perspective, with prayer woven throughout all.
Praise
   “The LORD is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”  Exodus 15:2 (ESV).
   We know that God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise is a way of being, an action or response to life situations. Praise is not an emotion, though at times we may feel it. It’s a choice. In both good and bad times, we can choose to praise God, just as Paul did when he was in prison. We can seek the good in all things, even if the only good we can see at the moment is how we may inspire others by staying faithful.
   Praise influences everything about us: how we respond to hardships, how we interact with others, how we live, love and even laugh. Praise affects our words and actions. By showing trust in Him and witnessing to others how God is good in all things, we practice a life of praise. When the car has a flat, praise Him for the fact that you own a car. When the house is a mess, thank God ...