Cultivate Your Kids Design
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Prov. 22:6 (NIV)
As a parent of three kids, I desire to do all I can do to help train my kids in the “way” they were designed by God to go. My wife and I are constantly thinking about ways to cultivate each our kids uniqueness. From helping them discover their special gifts to understanding how to God can use their experiences to serve others and share His love.
The truth is our kids come pre-wired, but they don’t come with an owners manual. I wish they did, but if they did we would need to depend on God to help us, which is exactly what he wants from us. As parents, we get the great opportunity to help them discover their uniqueness so they too can find and fulfill their purpose in life as they get older. WOW! What a great privilege and challenge.
I’m anticipating you and I share the same desire and my wife and I. You desire to see your kids reach their full potential. You desire to see them become all that God made them to be. I want you to know you are not alone. A survey we conducted at Saddleback Church indicated that over 60% of parents shared the same desire, but just needed help.
Here are the ABC’s to helping you kids.
Accept your responsibility – As a parent YOU are responsible to train your child. No ones else can do this. You can seek help from your church and extended family, but God calls you and hold you responsible. You can do it, but you first must accept the responsibility and ask God for strengthen daily, if not hourly for wisdom and strength. As you accept your responsibility, remember God calls us to train our kids in THE way they should go. Not the way, we want them to go. Way to often, parents (including me) want their kids to go the “way” they want them to without every taking the time to discover the way God designed them to. As one parent to another, please accept your responsibility so your kids will always know YOU are their biggest champion and cheerleader!
Become who God shaped you to be first – Do you realize you kids are watching and listening to you? They are more than you know. The fact is, we can’t pass on what we don’t possess ourselves. We can try, but it won’t last. I like to tell parents, “It’s not what you say that maters most, it’s what you kids see.” So as you commit to becoming who God shaped you to be and fulfilling your unique purpose in life enjoy the great opportunity to pass on these great truths of God to your kids.
Cultivate their S.H.A.P.E. – After you have accepted your responsibility to train your child and have committed to becoming who God shaped you to be, then you can move to the final step…cultivating their unique S.H.A.P.E. I have seen the concepts of S.H.A.P.E. work with kids as young as seven years old. Kids understand more than you think they do. It continues to amaze me how much my own kids comprehend stuff that I thought was “over” their heads.
It is one of the most rewarding roles I have as a parent.
You can do this!
