GFK042: Christian parenting full circle : A conversation with our oldest child, Aaron

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Mindi and Carey Green welcome their oldest son Aaron to their podcast to gain insight into how he feels about his parenting now that he is an married adult of 32 years, raising 4 boys of his own. To give a bit of background on Aaron’s life now, he lives with his wife and boys in northern Michigan and they operate a small homestead where they spend much of their time outdoors together working the land and caring for their animals.

In Aaron’s home now, faith in Christ is the central focus . He says that his boys are comfortable talking about Jesus, as if He’s part of the family (because He is). When asked why he thinks he’s been able to lead his family in this direction, Aaron recalled growing up attending church weekly and having dedicated times of Bible study and worship together on Sundays. These spiritual disciplines that were modeled and required by his parents have shaped Aaron’s desire to pass on the same spiritual heritage to his own children.

While faith is prioritized, Aaron acknowledged maintaining consistency in his quiet time with God can be a struggle at times. As someone who is admittedly prone to laziness, dedicated structure helps keep him accountable. Having a wife and kids who rely on his spiritual leadership provides the needed dependence to stay engaged with the Lord regularly. Responsibility has a way of doing that in a man’s life.

Aaron credited his parents for teaching him how to study Scripture from a young age, equipping him with a process to effectively engage with God’s word even on busy days. In addition to spiritual habits, Aaron spoke about the emotional support he received from his mother growing up as a shy child. Mindi drew Aaron’s feelings out through gently questioning him to understand what was truly bothering him beneath the surface. She affirmed his worth while also helping him process emotions from a biblical perspective. Aaron stated this shaped his ability as an adult to do the same for his own kids when they struggle.

A key memory from his growing up years that influenced Aaron was a financially difficult time when his family lived month-to-month in a rundown townhome. Though his parents understandably struggled with their situation and own emotions at points, Aaron was impacted by witnessing them consistently depend on the Lord privately through prayer and Bible reading. Even amid hardships, they taught their children to trust God’s goodness, justice, and providential care through how they related events to Scripture. This experience reinforced Aaron’s commitment to the Lord even through trials as an adult.

In summary, Aaron credited his parents’ heartfelt example and guidance for cultivating his own strong marriage and faith- centered home life. Prioritizing open communication, demonstrating secure commitment to God and one another through hard times, and willingly sharing the burdens and blessings of life with their children in an age-appropriate way were highlighted as immensely impactful practices for parents to emulate. The legacy of faith being passed down to the next generation was evident in Aaron and how he is now raising his boys to also depend fully on the Lord.

Listen to this entire conversation to hear how faith has come full-circle in Aaron’s life and to learn some of the practical things that happened in his life as he was growing up that have helped him establish a God-fearing home of his own.