You have a beautiful family, and SO many blessings to count. But remember, your children’s biggest model of faith is you! You can surround your children with the world’s best pastors and Sunday school teachers, but they’ll follow your example the most. My wife constantly has to remind me that the most important ministry I can engage in is ministry to my own family. To tell you the truth, I’m tired of parents who come up to me and ask me to help their children be a very good Christian, but their life, actions and words are counter to the Christian faith. So please keep in mind that you are the foremost shaper and model of faith when it comes to your children.
This is something that I have to constantly remind myself (and something I constantly fail at) but being a Christian counts the most when we are NOT in church. Everyone expects us to be Christians at church. It’s just like how we were on our best behavior in the presence of our parents. But embodying and displaying Christ’s love when we are not in church, when we are alone, when we are at work or at school, or surrounded by non-Christians, that’s when we really should try our best to be the salt and light of the world. Philippians  1:27 is one of the most frustrating verses for me, because 9 out of 10 times, I fail to do what Paul asks us to do. We should be aware that we may be the ONLY representative of Christ someone may ever see. I am ashamed to admit that I probably have cursed the name of God amongst non-Christians (and Christians) more than I bless it or honor it by my actions and words. Christianity is not a fad or a short-term goal. Christianity is a life consuming journey that dictates every second of our lives, whether we want to or not. You know that Jesus has this annoying habit of harassing us, especially when we least want it. Jesus shouldn’t be our Lord just on Sundays or whenever it is best for us, but Jesus is Lord every single day, every single breath we take. Hell, I preach this and I still have trouble following it all the time. But the important thing is we continue to try, right?
The cross of Christ isn’t an easy thing to carry, but God gives us strength to and God gives us rest in Him.