Integrity and Skill
August 5, 2020·Elizabeth Ewens
Psalm 78:70-72
I’ve been thinking about parents a lot these days. How hard it must be for parents to hold down jobs and school their children at home, all in the same space, 24/7. So, when I read Psalm 78:70-72, I thought of parents. The chapter recalls the history of Israel and how God dealt with them. Then the last three verses highlight David, who was a good shepherd and became a great leader, because he had a heart of integrity and he had skill. God calls each of us to have integrity and to be good stewards with the skills and gifts we have.
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs. And to parent with a heart of integrity, well, that is an awesome challenge. For a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor or friend to make decisions on what is best for the child, not what is most convenient, not how it will reflect on the parent, or to do what other people would expect – well, that takes integrity. Skill? Oh, yes — parenting takes a lot of skill. But once you have kids, you usually don’t have the time to learn about parenting, because you’re too busy parenting!
Let me quickly share two important things I learned as a teacher and as a Children’s Pastor, that helped develop my skills as a teacher and disciple maker: Learning Styles and Love Languages.
Learning Styles: Each of us has a dominate way we learn best. I’m a Visual Learner. I need to “see” the word, the picture, or “see it in my mind,” and then I’ll remember it. Some children are auditory learners and learn best by hearing. Others learn best by moving and others by touching. When you have a student whose learning style is different than yours, there could be trouble ahead. Once I learned to identify how a student learns best, I was able to teach to that student’s learning style.
Love Languages: One popular theory, developed by Dr. Norman Wright, states that there are five major “love languages,” or what it takes for someone to feel loved. Knowing what “language” your child speaks, or what makes them feel loved, will help you know how to help them feel loved, so they can learn. The five languages are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch…
Understanding these concepts, which are easy to identify and will only take a few minutes to discover, can help parents and teachers understand the student better. I have listed links below, if you want to learn more. There are countless books and articles on each subject, but a few minutes to take a quick quiz may help you immensely. Knowing both your child’s love language and their learning style will sharpen your skill as a parent.
And, to have a heart of integrity — obeying the Word of God and calling on His power will help you develop integrity. HINT: It’s a process, one decision at a time.
If you have an idea on how the church can better help parents and families in this unique season, please let us know, by emailing Pastor Carmen Quevedo at [email protected]. We are here to help you disciple your children.
Pastor Elizabeth Ewens
Resource Links:
Love Languages
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/understanding-the-five-love-languages/
https://m2mbatesville.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/lovelanguagetest.pdf
https://www.busykidshappymom.org/five-love-languages-printable-mom-guide/
Learning Styles
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/understanding-learning-styles/
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/encouraging-auditory-visual-and-kinesthetic-learning/
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/types-of-learning-styles/
