Raising Healthy Kids

“O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways”

Proverbs 23:26



The Shema is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one God and is found in Deuteronomy 6 where it is stated, “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Jewish Law makes it the duty of the faithful Jew to pray three times daily: in the morning, in the afternoon and at nightfall. These prayers are called morning prayer (shacharit), afternoon prayer (minchah) and evening prayer (arvith or maariv ). I love the lyrics to the song that captures the heart of The Shema. The lyrics go like this, “Love him in the morning when you see the sun rising. Live him in the evening because He took you through the day. And in the in between times when you feel the pressure coming, and remember that He loves you and He has promised to stay with you!” That song puts a typical day into perspective and serves as a great reminder to commit ourselves to make time each day to seek the Lord.

I immediately thought of The Shema when I saw a post on Instagram that just might prove once and for all just how wise our Heavenly Father is. I’m kidding of course. In the interview Psychologists were discussing what they have determined to be the three most important times of the day parents have to impact their children’s health and well being. You will never guess what they said but I’ll give you a hint. If you read The Shema you know the answer.

Kids with the healthiest mental well being were kids who had parents who spoke with them first thing in the morning when they wake up. It’s in these moments you can instruct, encourage and cheer lead for your kids as they head into the day. The next best time they said to speak to your kids is when they get home from school. The reason this time is deemed so important is this moment in time helps kids decompress the day. It’s here they can share the highs and the lows and everything in between which is priceless information for the parent who is actively involved in leading and guiding their children on the correct paths to take. The third and final time that psychologists believed parents have each day to impact their kids mental health and well being is as they lay down to go to bed at night. It’s here where the wounds of the day can begin to heal and the hope of tomorrow can be taking shape and dads and mom can pray God’s peace, His presence, His comfort, His strength and His joy would be theirs in abundance as they sleep.  

I don’t know about you but I always get excited when the non-believing world by observation and often times by accident learns the truth God’s Word teaches His children in advance. I pray your heart is encouraged knowing Father knows best. God has and always will have our best interest in mind. Trust His Word, follow it and pour your heart out to Him in prayer. Do it every day. Do it in the morning, and in the evening and in the in between times remembering always what Jesus said,


“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”


Matthew 28:20


I LOVE YOU!