Firm Foundation

Hi! My name is Tammy. I am the blessed Mommy of 2 amazing little girls, Selah, 2, and Susannah, 8 mos. I am happily married to my best friend Rick since 2006. Both Rick and I work in Christian education. I taught elementary school up until the birth of our first daughter. I am now blessed to be a stay at home mommy. I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and pray daily for wisdom and humility to be the mother He has called me to be.






A while back, my husband bought Selah a beginner's set of building blocks, the large ones that connect. As we watched Selah attempt to build up a tower, we noticed she was growing increasingly frustrated as the blocks would tumble over without a strong base to support them. So, we sat down, took a few of the larger blocks, and showed her how to build a foundation. It has now become a regular part of block time. Selah will hand us a few of the larger blocks and say “Mommy/Daddy foundation?”, and we will help get her started by laying down a foundation of blocks for her to build upon. Now, she has even started to build her own foundation in the way we have shown her.


I have often seen Ephesians 6:4 referenced in not mocking or speaking cruelly to your children as well as not disciplining harshly in anger. Through this interaction with our daughter, I began to see exasperating/provoking your children to wrath (depending on translation) in a new light. By not setting a firm foundation for the blocks, Selah became frustrated by her inability to build a solid structure. By not laying down a ‘faith foundation’ we would not be preparing our children to build and lead solid lives. What we model for them and teach them now all lays the foundation for what kind of lives they will live. They absorb and imitate everything we do from our words and attitudes, to the way we discipline, our interactions with our spouse and others, etc. as they develop their own character.



The word used for instruction/admonition- nouthesia means literally, "a putting in mind". The sense here is, that we are to put them in mind of the Lord - of his existence, perfections, law, and claims on their hearts and lives. (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible) That is the foundation we are to lay for our children, a mindset of knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ. We do this by living lives that honor God, being role models for our children to look to. We pray with our children, instruct them in the Bible, and teach them to behave in a manner that honors the Lord. As they grow, we expect them to make choices to do this without our guidance. But if we don't show them how, it is illogical to expect them to do it on their own, much like handing a 2 year old a set of blocks and expecting her to build a magnificent tower.





No matter what age your children are, it is never too late to teach them how to build or rebuild a solid life on the foundation of God's Word. You can start by building your own and living by example. God is the Master Architect, and He has an unbelievable blueprint for your life and the lives of your children! (Jeremiah 29:11)



Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to put You in my mind and in the minds of my children. I pray that my husband and I will lay a firm, Christ-centered foundation for our children to build their lives upon. Please help me to keep this in mind and be intentional in my daily interactions, discipline, and instruction. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.




For Meditation and Action:

• What kind of faith foundation are you laying for your children?
• Are you admonishing (putting them in the mind of the Lord) your children on a daily basis?
• What is one area you can commit to working on this week to strengthen their foundation? (Set aside 'praise-only' prayer time, Choose a verse of the week to memorize and apply as a family, Select a Bible story of the week to read, retell, illustrate, etc.)