How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman

How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman
Apologia Press Publishing
Cost- $13.00
Sample Chapter
Table of Contents


Rachael Carman’s book “How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids” from Apologia Press publishing came to me at “Such a time as this.” I think that very often we busy homeschool mommas get caught up in yes, no, what do you think you’re doing, dishes, laundry, what on earth is for dinner and how many more books can I buy and will they fit on the bookshelves I have, that we often forget that our time is very short with our children. I mean, we have three children who are three and under and our only wish is that a time will come soon when they can all get themselves dressed or buckled in their carseats and then we blink and they are sixteen and we wish for those days back again. If only we would have known back then, but we couldn’t see the forest for the trees and time flies when measured by growing babies. We think, “ I am always going to be…”, but too soon, we find our roles changing and we’re really not ready for it and if we have not captured our children’s hearts, we may not like the place we find ourselves to be.

Rachael Carman's book, How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids is an easy reading power packed book for raising children. It gets right to the HEART of the matter and often made me stop and think, OUCH....I walked away from this book with many things I really need to re-evaluate and implement in my home so that my children know my HEART is for them.
Using the acronym, HEART, this book is broken down into these segments
H: Have a Heart for the things of God
E: Enrich your marriage
A: Accept your kids
R: Release them to God
T: Teach them the truth

H:
I thought I would share a point or so (may be more in certain sections because of where I am in my life) that was something I felt I needed to notice...these may be direct quotes or paraphrases of what the author said
Having a HEART for our kids starts with OUR example of worshipping and obeying our Lord God. We cannot expect our children to exhibit Christ-like behavior if we are graceless and disobedient.

Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of Christ, to watch and to learn from Him.

E:
When we get down on our knees together, at the foot of the throne of grace, that is where bonding occurs.
There is a revealing of your soul that we share, a point of vulnerability and humility that brings us closer.

A:
Our children were created to bring glory to God. Instead of resisting their bends- their original wiring- I needed to honor the way God wired them. I needed to pray for Him to reveal His plan and purpose for their lives so I could raise them in the way they should go.

R:
This seems easy until the time comes to release your children into His care, for the fulfillment of His purpose, His plan and His will. In the end, it comes down to a trust issue. Not as to whether or not your trust your children. Do you trust the Lord with your children? (BIG OUCH HERE!)

T:
Rachael gives 6 facts about truth that I thought were helpful and I won't take time to share that here, but I mention it so that you can be sure to check it out.
I loved what she shared about Christians reaching a point where she thought we could just take it easy and coast into heaven, but she realized, "There's no coasting this side of heaven."

One point I gleaned from this chapter is that we can live truth by allowing it to set us free from worry, panic, exhaustion and despair. I think we all (and often) need this reminder.

This is a sweet book, that I would heartily recommend. Points in this book have made me sit up and take notice. I want to have a HEART for my children and I want to have their hearts!
Enjoy!



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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation. All the opinions expressed are my own.