Modeling Joy to Our Children in the Middle of Trials

Hello Everyone!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Liz Neal and I am one of the City Kids Worship leaders. I have two kids, Mackenzie 13 and Logan 9. I am married to Chris Neal and we have been together 18 years this coming July. We have a crazy little family and I wouldn’t change a thing. I have been serving at the church even before we were City Church and it has become an incredibly huge part of our lives.

The last year has been unbelievably difficult, to say the least, but we are seeing hope of things getting better. With that being said I have asked to write about perseverance for this post. I am sure every one of us has had to overcome challenges, just being parents, let alone in our day-to-day lives. When we bring home those beautiful babies from the hospital they don’t come with a manual and we have to figure things out as we go. Lord knows there are rough days!!

I believe it’s important for our kids to see how we overcome difficult situations and come out stronger on the other side.  Let’s be honest, life is not easy all the time and we can get hit with some pretty hard seasons, but God tells us to find joy in these seasons. The Bible says we will have trials and tribulations, but we are to trust in the Lord.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know they help us develop endurance.” Romans 5:3

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” 1 Peter 1:6

One of the most important things we can teach our children when overcoming an obstacle is to not rely on yourself but trust in God. He did not make us to carry the burdens of this world alone but to give them to him. Also surround yourself with an amazing group of friends, as we are not made to do life alone.

Personally in our family, both of our kids were being bullied at school last year. You know as a parent your mama or papa bear comes out in those kinds of situations. This was not an isolated incident for either one of our children it went on for months. However, we worked with both the schools to resolve the issue, but we also had to do work at home. We wanted our kids to know that they are exactly who God created them to be and how loved they are. It took a lot of work to push through the pain and hurt they felt. We encouraged our kids to forgive and pray for those who hurt them since it’s important for their healing as well as showing compassion towards the people who hurt them. With time and prayer, we were able to heal as a family and become stronger on the other end.

I will encourage you today from Galatians 6:9:

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up”

Let’s show our kids we can do anything with the trust of the Lord and continued faith.