posted by Jessica Lynette on Family

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There is such a need for us to be transparent and authentic; with one another and lived out in the privacy of our homes – all for the sake of our children. Communicating authenticity and transparency can only be done by example – we cannot relay one message to our children and live something separate – and to express to our children the need to be transparent and authentic calls for us to be that ourselves.

From the Webster Dictionary Authentic means not false and true to ones own personality, character and spirit and made or done the same way as the original.

Transparent means free from pretense or deceit and easily detected or seen through.

The beauty in being transparent and authentic is that we are free to acknowledge our own short comings and failures, our own insecurities, our own inability to do anything in and of ourselves – we are forced to acknowledge the end of ourselves and look at the incredible transforming work of Christ.

If I could have my children know one thing securely it is that we are nothing without Christ, but through Him we can do all things.

Our kids need to know that we don’t have it all together and that we look to Christ for the strength to get through each day.

Being transparent and authentic with my children means I need to be honest with myself. And that’s a good thing. Because that’s when I am reminded that I really can’t do this whole parenting thing on my own. I need Him.

Sometimes it is hard to remember to depend on Him.

And sometimes it is hard to remember to be transparent and authentic with my children – but in a world that is full of deception, in-the-moment satisfaction and walls that people build to protect themselves how can I be anything other than honest with my children – they need to see realness so they know what to look for when they leave me.

“By being honest you invite the child into your confidence, into your private world where few people outside the family ever have a chance to observe or listen in. In effect, you say to the child; ‘I trust you. I value your opinion. I know you are a capable person.’” – Dr. Kevin Leman

I am the best parent I can be when I am transparent and authentic with myself and acknowledge that I need Him.

We cannot carry our children’s faith and their relationship with God – and so we do what we can to woo and romance them and to be transparent and authentic with them in our own weaknesses and our own need for His grace.

We strive (and fail! But still strive) to point our children to Christ in all things. The beauty of His world. The extravagance of His love and mercy. The truths in His word. His faithfulness. Our need for salvation through Him.
And then we pray for them.

And we are so thankful for this incredible privilege of prayer – where we can petition for the lives of our children and for wisdom for ourselves as we venture through this wild and incredible thing called parenting.

Day 9 of 31 Days of Communicating With Our Children. Click here to see all posts in this series.

Tags: communicating