Training Them Up

Remember that verse in 1 Thessalonians? "We continually remember before our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 1:3)  Parenting is work that, at its best, is produced by faith in our humble ability to parent, prompted by our deep and intense love for our children and we are able to endure because we are inspired by our hope in our all-knowing and loving God.  Right?  But it is not that easy if we are being honest and my path to finding my children's journey is one wrought with confusion, frustration and a feeling of inadequacy.

Before I was a mother, I was a sales trainer in the software industry.  It was a challenging job, as sales people are energetic, action-oriented people with short attention spans, who have a hard time being told what they could do better or simply how to do something at all.  Sound like anyone who lives in your house?  I, however, had the task of translating all that marketing wanted the sales group to know into a palatable form that would stick with them and be useful for them in their sales cycles.  Hmmm...sounds a little like trying to parent my children to the journey God has for them.

To that end I believe that while there are many teachable moments as parents we are truly called to be trainers of our children.  Teaching and training are two different things, though each has its time and place.  Teaching is imparting knowledge and training is giving someone the ability to practice that knowledge repeatedly. So, while we are on the path of trying to help our children find the journey God has for them and while we are trying to impart biblical knowledge and standards through teachable moments, are we providing an opportunity to practice the use of that knowledge and how it might play out in their day to day lives. Which, by the way, is completely different than our day to day lives.

God's blueprint for parenting is the bible.  Remember in my last post I talked about how wonderful it would be if we all trained our children to move through their days using the fruits of the spirit while putting on the armor of God?  Now it is one thing for us to have our children memorize the scripture and talk about what it means, but are we creating opportunities for them to practice the use of the Godly skills that have been laid out for them?  The skills that will put them on God's path for them and keep them returning to him for guidance as we become less of their center and he becomes more.  It takes 30 days to change a habit.  Did you know that?  It is a little depressing when I think of the habits in my life that I would like to change.  But it also takes 30 days to create a habit!  That is much more exciting.

So this is what I have been working up to.  We are called to parenting, not just challenged. We have the perfect blueprint in the bible and I am setting on a journey to train my children up to seek God and to ultimately turn to him as their center and not to me.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

For the next seven months I will be training my children in the fruits of the spirit.  I plan to talk to them about the fruits but also give them opportunities to practice those fruits and talk about how they can change the way they view situations.  I will share my ideas and activities with you and would love for any of you to join this journey.

I am stepping out prayerfully in faith, prompted by both my love of God and my love of my children. I desire a journey to somewhere for them, not a race to nowhere, and will draw my endurance from the God that has truly inspired me.

The month of June is dedicated to LOVE!

By His Grace