Wife, mom, daughter, teacher, blogger, crafter, organizer - but most and best of all, I am a Christian. I am passionate about my family and my God. I am married to my best friend and am blessed with a one year old son who keeps me busy all the time staying at home with him. And I am glad to be in the service of our incredible and awesome God.
I have been immensely blessed in my life with several older moms who have shared their wisdom, experience, and humor with me. They have done so with grace, with understanding, and with much love. They help keep me grounded and they help keep me going, even when it seems I will be swallowed by dishes, dirty laundry, and discipline!
I asked several of them the practical “how-to” of putting together a quiet bag for little ones. The following is a compilation of their wisdom and one or two ideas of mine:
The Quiet Bag
Do only put quiet items in there. (The noise-making trucks and dolls that cry are mesmerizing to kids, but are like your cell phone ringing–they only ever make noise during the quietest point of worship!)
Do switch it out monthly. (Everyone gets bored with the same stuff.)
Do store it in a place where your child can’t play with it during the week. (That way, by Sunday, those items are “new” and therefore more exciting.)
Do try to wait to open it till the sermon(or perhaps the Lord’s Supper. When my little guy was younger, I would have a special book and fun jewelry for him to look at during the Lord’s Supper and then would open his special quiet bag during the sermon). Don’t waste your bag of tricks until you really need it!
If your child has a snack mid-morning, do include a snack in your quiet bag! Just make sure that it is easy to clean up. There WILL be spills. Often on yourself.
Try to include things that are church- or God-oriented if you can. (This doesn’t always work, but if you have some Bible board books, it is great to get your little one thinking about Godly things and associating God with worship time!)
Do have everything prepared BEFORE Sunday morning. That saves your sanity as well as your time. Somehow, Sunday mornings don’t seem to have as much time in them as other days of the week!
Don’t feel bad if your kid doesn’t like what you put in there! He/she is a person too, with their own likes and dislikes. Just switch out the items for something they enjoy more.
Items you could include in your quiet bag
Coloring book and crayons
Stickers and notepad
Fake wallet (It may be unwise to hand them your actual driver’s license and debit card!)
Books
Soft toys/stuffed animals
Lacing cards
Mirrors
Jewelry
Snacks
Aquadoodle
EtchaSketch
Puzzles
Items that button, zip, or snap (an old wallet, old Bible cover, etc.)
What would you add? God bless you and your littles as you train them to know and worship God!
Wife, mom, daughter, teacher, blogger, crafter, organizer - but most and best of all, I am a Christian. I am passionate about my family and my God. I am married to my best friend and am blessed with a one year old son who keeps me busy all the time staying at home with him. And I am glad to be in the service of our incredible and awesome God.
You’re in the middle of worship. The entire church has their heads bowed in fervent, quiet prayer when suddenly your kid erupts like a verbal volcano and discovers that your previously vetted out and carefully chosen toy can be:
whacked noisily against the pew in front of you,
launched like a Cuban missile onto the other side of the auditorium,or
just in general be likened to an explosion of sound and excitement.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt that mixture of panic, frustration, and embarrassment. These things never seem to happen in the middle of a great, noisy, swelling song, only during Communion or a prayer! So what’s the secret to making your quiet bag a success? I’m here with the answers. Maybe…
Grace
Pack in grace for yourself. Grace for your kid. Grace knowing that no matter how hard you try or how well you prepare, you can’t always be perfect or utterly quiet or completely still. And that’s OK.
I’m not saying to let your kid run loose on Sunday morning while throwing him goldfish in the middle of the sermon. But I am saying that it’s OK if neither you or your kid are perfect. Give yourself the grace that you would extend to other moms. And find peace in the fact that God sees your efforts and will reward them.
Patience
I know. This is like a dirty word with Christians. The problem with praying for patience is that you get it, right?
But you’ll need it. You need lots and lots and lots of patience to quiet your kids, to miss yet another chunk of the worship service, to smile instead of strangle.
Patience is knowing that you’re doing this for the end game. Nobody in their right mind says, “Boy, that mother of two toddlers and a baby is coming to church and just filling her spiritual cup to overflowing.”
What she’s doing is showing her kids that even when it’s hard for her, even when it’s not ideal for her, even when she may only get five minutes out of the worship service–it is still the most important thing to do. There is nothing more important than going to worship the Creator of the Universe. To give Him the praise and adoration He deserves. And to teach our kids to do the very same.
A Sense of Humor
This is, perhaps, the key to surviving not just a worship service, but motherhood in general! Laughing at the crazy, the ludicrous, and the full moon coming out in your kid (and perhaps you!) is the best way to relieve your stress.
It’s OK to find it funny when your son has a poopsplosion in the middle of opening prayer. And It’s OK to giggle when he happily shares his now-slimy cheerios with the little widow you chose to sit next to this morning. Finding joy in these moments is perfectly OK!
Without joy, you’ll turn into a little ball of stress–and that’s no fun for anyone.
I am a proud wife and Mother! My hubby, Tyler, and I both attended Oklahoma Christian where our love grew! We got married, had two beautiful kiddos, our son Gunner and daughter Brooklyn, and we are living a truly blessed life! I am a Kindergarten teacher in the great state of Texas and most importantly a Christian. I strive daily to keep God #1 because he is the reason I have all the amazing blessings, I give him all the praise!
I never thought it would be this difficult, did you? When you became a parent did you realize just how hard it was going to be? Most (if not all) would say a resounding, “No!” I know I would. Most importantly, did you know how hard it would be, not just to raise your children in God but also get them to Bible class and worship without losing your mind?
“It is just too hard.”
“My kid doesn’t even understand.”
“We will get them into Bible class when they get into the youth group.”
If we wait until they get into the youth group, we have waited too long.
God gave us these blessings to show them love, support, and how to put God as the highest priority! School is great and sports are fun too. However, when we as parents start putting those things first, we need to look inside ourselves and see if our priorities reflect the Bible’s guidance on the matter.
This scripture is powerful! Training up a child means making God the ultimate priority. If we place him in every part of our life, our kids will follow our lead! As parents, our kids want to be just like us, so we need to make sure we are showing Christ through ourselves first.
The world is already an imperfect, sinful place and it craves for us to be the light. Some in the older generation might say, “This world is going to pot,” or “These kids don’t have a chance.” These types of comments truly break my heart because my kids are growing up in this world. I refuse to believe that they have no chance but to live in a corrupt world!
If we let our kids grow up thinking there is no hope, not only will they feel discouraged but they will lose sight of what God needs them to be and that is THE LIGHT! I pray that we encourage them as much as possible to believe that they CAN make a difference! Bible class and worship reinforce hope in their lives. I witnessed my daughter sharing this hope with another child at my son’s t-ball game. It was the sweetest thing ever and I welled up in tears.
“Did you know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins?
She gets it! And it’s because she is part of the church.
Let’s encourage our entire family to be part of the church. Don’t wait to introduce them to God’s family until their formative years have passed.
A few ways to make life easier and enjoy going to Bible class and worship:
1. Take the kids to Bible class. This gives parents and children the opportunity to connect with the body of believers, and most importantly, they get to learn more about Jesus!
2. Rotate different toys and books. Each week in a small bag or backpack, bring something to worship that they haven’t had the chance to play with in a while.
3. Talk to your kids. Set expectations of how to act during worship before it begins.
“We need to whisper.”
“Stay seated on the pew.”
“We need to pray, sing and listen.”
“Worship is not about us, it is all about God. If we stay nice and quiet, more people will hear more about God”.
4. Bible class and worship are important. Make it a priority to worship and fellowship with the body of believers. It will become a routine, and worship will become second nature to our children.
This has been on my heart. I hope it is a great source of encouragement to you and plants the seed that Bible class and worship are a blessing. Most importantly, know that your church family doesn’t mind that your little one wiggles and giggles. They are glad you are there. May God bless you and your sweet families!
What are some ways you have found helpful in making Bible class & worship a priority?
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Have you ever wanted to do something but then time goes by and you forget about it because you never thought it could be accomplished?
God knows our heart’s desire even if we sometimes forget them.
My Desire
My story begins when I was a little girl. I went to church where my grandmother was the pianist. I would listen to her play and dream of doing the same. So at the age of five, my mother enrolled me in piano lessons with the best teacher in our little town. I was so excited and practiced endlessly. I went to piano contests and did very well.
But, alas, the teen years arrived and practicing was no longer fun. I didn’t get to learn any fun, contemporary songs, just classical music – Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky. I learned some hymns, but not the way a church pianist plays. (Playing from a hymnal is very different from playing classical music. It’s a different skill set, altogether.) My mother soon grew weary of paying for lessons and me not practicing. I quit piano lessons after nine years and gave up hope of ever playing for the church.
My Desire Collecting Dust
Fast forward (cough cough) twenty something years. Although, I still owned my piano, I had only played it a few times while attempting to teach my oldest child to play. The piano was more of a piece of furniture than an instrument in our home.
At this time, we were attending a small congregation when it split. The first Sunday after the split, we gathered at a former member’s home. After our Bible study, we discussed what needed to be done if we were going to form a new congregation. The song leader mentioned that it would be nice if we had a piano player. I did not say anything because I did not believe I played well enough. After all, I had not lifted the cover of my piano in 10 years. The homeowner spoke up and said, “Toni plays the piano.” I was shocked. I didn’t know that she knew about my piano past. All I could say was, “Who says Toni plays the piano?” (I tend to refer to myself in third person when I get nervous.)
The Nudge
I didn’t think much more about that conversation because as far as I was concerned, I could not play the piano. Hymns were out of my realm, or so I thought. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story. I kept having this feeling and hearing God telling me that I could play. So, I went to a music store and purchased a couple of books and started practicing every spare moment I had. I was driving my family crazy.
The next week, I went to visit the song leader with a yellow sticky note in hand that contained the names of five hymns. I told him God had been dealing with me. I had learned five songs that I would play on Sunday and that I would learn five new songs every week. He was surprised and thanked me. The first time I played, I was so nervous. My husband said that they could not sing fast enough to keep up with my playing!
A Desire of My Heart Realized
Gone are the days that I have to pick out the songs and practice them all week. I have been the church pianist for almost four years now and I know that my grandmother is looking down from heaven smiling that I have followed in her footsteps. God knew my heart’s desire and he opened another pathway for me to serve and worship him. We never know when he will give us our heart’s desire.
What desires from your past might God be trying to wake up in your heart again?
FREE "Gifts from God" 5 Minute Devotional Ebook
It contains 10 devotionals with thoughts & prayer pages, Bible Journaling pages & Memory Verse Cards.
You have Successfully subscribed! Check your email for your encouraging Ebook.
the split, we gathered at a former member’s home. After our Bible study, we discussed what needed to be done if we were going to form a new congregation. The song leader mentioned that it would be nice if we had a piano player. I did not say anything because I did not believe I played well enough. After all, I had not lifted the cover of my piano in 10 years. The homeowner spoke up and said, “Toni plays the piano.” I was shocked. I didn’t know that she knew about my piano past. All I could say was, “Who says Toni plays the piano?” (I tend to refer to myself in third person when I get nervous.)
