Chad and I have always talked a
lot about how we would answer the very many “whys” our children would one day
ask. As parents, we expect those questions will surface one day, and the
reasoning behind each “why” frames our responses. Our Christian beliefs guide
our decisions regarding certain “why” questions, such as: Why don’t we drink? Why is cussing bad? What is our philosophy about
dating? Why must we go to church? Why do we pray? Why? Why? Why? However, Scripture
can be somewhat vague concerning some of these “why” questions. The challenge
for us, and unique to each Christian family: Determining how the “gray” areas
in Scripture affect our family’s decisions.

I firmly believe in telling our children the “why” behind some of
our  do’s and don’ts. Responding to their
“why” with a “because” will not set them up for success as they grow older. If we
fail to teach our children the “why” behind our decisions, than I believe we
are failing to truly teach them. We want to equip our children to make
decisions on their own based upon our Christian understanding of Biblical
principles applied to their life.

 The concept“Everything is permissible, but
not everything is beneficial.”I learned at leadership college guides us
in the decisions we make for our family. This enables us to teach our
children the “why” behind our decisions, and helps us prepare them for the
future. I hope not to persuade you to side with me one way or the other, but to
instead encourage you in defining the “why” in your own family.

So won’t you join me for one of
my first series’ (outside of link ups and the 31 Day Challenge) on the blog?