Wednesday; July 19

The idea of parenting is an interesting concept.  Basically, we take an infant who can do nothing to care for themselves and, in a short two decades, we train them to function independently.  No, we can’t teach them everything in that period of time, but we provide them with the capacity to fend for themselves.  
Have you ever really given much thought to what they need to know when they leave the safety of our homes and head out into the word?  Here are a few principles that will serve them well for the rest of their lives:
1.  They need to take responsibility for their own choices.  We have all been given the blessing of being able to be independent thinkers.  That is great, but it comes with a price – accountability.  We can whine and fuss and blame all we want, but satisfaction will only come when we are grown up enough to be responsible.
2.  They need to realize their responsibility to others.   Selfishness and isolationism rob us of one of the greatest blessings of humanity.  The willingness to help others and the ability be to be touched (physically and emotionally) by people make life worth living.
3.  They need to acknowledge their responsibly to God.  It is great for our children to graduate High School or get a college degree, but the thing that guarantees spiritual success is developing a solid relationship with God.  Children can benefit from Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, but it is the godly examples they see at home and the personal Bible Study skills they develop early in life that sets them out on a productive spiritual journey.
          The wise king, Solomon, observed, “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)  Are we giving our children what they actually need to be successful?
          Think About It!

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