Teaching Our Children That God Will Give Them All That They Need, But Not Always What They Want

Examine the Bible story in 2Kings 4:1-7.

These verses tell the story of a woman and who must make enough money to pay to keep her children. She is to sell oil from her jars, and while these jars would normally empty, God keeps them filled!

This story tells us that God always provides us with what we need! This is difficult for children to understand, as they believe that they need everything!

Even as adults, there are SO many things that we say we NEED! We need new tvs, new cars, new clothes! Often times, we must truly examine our lives to figure out what we really need and what we just want.

Remind your child at different times during the day of things that they need. For example, at breakfast time, remind them that we NEED food to survive. Later, if they receive candy or a special treat, remind them that we do not NEED candy. Sure, it tastes good but it is not something that we NEED. If at a time during the day your child should ask for something that they cannot have, remind them of the difference between what they need and what they want. Tell them that God will always provide them with what they need in life. If they do not get something that they want - help them to remember that God is in control, and sometimes, even when we think that we need something, we may be wrong!

Mold your children to understand that God can give us what we need because God knows ALL!

I have prayed this prayer with Ethan in the past after reading the story of the oil jar that never gets empty, "You gave the mother what she needed, Lord God; thank You for giving me all that I need. Amen."