Imagine a fish swimming in a river. The swimming fish is content in its environment. It is where it belongs; doing what it is created to do. Now imagine someone scooped the fish up in a net and placed in on the riverbank. What happens? The fish flops and struggles on the ground.
So- how do WE keep our children from being fish out of water and stinking up our house?!
No one will argue that our number one job as parents is to open our children’s eyes to God’s love and God’s ways.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deut 6:4-9)
We teach our children how much God loves them:
By example–fulfilling the greatest commands loving God and others.
By reading the stories from God’s Word teaching them to respect God and learn of His ways.
I recently had a revelation concerning Prov 22:6. It's the verse we all turn to when speaking of training and teaching children in the Lord but it means SO much more!
Proverbs 22:6 says Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
This verse shows us a parent’s training must be based on knowing his or her child and their individuality and uniqueness. The Hebrew text has the personal pronoun attached to the noun “way.” It reads, “his way” and not simply “in the way he should go.” “Way” is the Hebrew word derek, which means “way, road, journey, manner.”
Our job is to recognize and acknowledge our child’s purpose –his unique way or bent–then provide the environment, help, encouragement, and the tools to help them full fill it.
God will reveal bits and pieces of your child’s purpose through the seasons of your life. We are to pray to recognize it and be aware of the revelation. Then help them recognize their identity and make available the skills needed for that purpose to be manifested.
On of the worse things we can do is to push our agenda upon them. God forbid we miss recognizing our purpose or miss helping our children find their purpose.
I'm sure it's common for most mothers to awake to the chorus of little voices asking, "What are we going to do today"? Well, I decided the other day that my response to them will now be to ask God's guidance and pray: Good Morning Father. What would you have us do today? What would you have us say? Open our eyes to Your Light, direction and will. Show me as Mom what you want me to teach your children today.
God will lead you into your purpose and your child’s purpose. You don’t need to strive to find it. He is able to guide you exactly where you need to go; your job is to keep your eyes and ears open. Spiritual maturity is about coming to the end of ourselves and realizing just how big God really is, and that there is no way that we could ever do it on our own! I find great freedom in knowing that I don't have to do it on my own. I have an amazing family and ecclesia to assist! I say it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes an ecclesia!
Seek God and rest assured, He will perfect that which concerns you and your children. (Psalm 138:8). Trust, have confidence in Him, wait in joyful anticipation for Him to revel His will. “Blessed are all who wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18
And due to a certain child's uniqueness of being a self motivator and leader, I'm told, "I think God wants us to go outside and play in the 4 feet of snow today"!
I won't tell them though that was already on MY agenda today.
