TODAY IS…

a superb day to teach your children to be followers.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Parenting has perplexed those who have children for as long as there have been parents raising children.

Modern society is rife with unique challenges, but the nature of being a parent never changes. As parents, our number one responsibility is to teach. We teach our children the basic, obvious skills that they will require to live. We teach them to eat and drink in a manner that might be considered “civilized;” we teach them to walk and to talk; we teach them to clothe themselves, to bathe, to brush their teeth and comb their hair; we teach them how to play sports, musical instruments, to draw and to paint. There are many, many examples of parents as teachers, and they are all important to the development of our children.

Much speculation always takes place when our children are small about their talents and abilities and what sort of career they may be suited for when they get older. We see that this little boy likes to play with tools so we think he may grow up to be a carpenter. We see this little girl loves to take care of her dolls and we think she may grow up to be a doctor.

The truth is, we will not know for years to come. It is simply our responsibility to expose them to as many different ideas and learning opportunities as we can and let them develop a sense of who they are and what they want to “be” when they grow up.

No matter what actual career they may choose, most of us would agree we want our children to be leaders. This is a wonderful goal and our focus should definitely be on providing them with the tools to be leaders. One of the most important tools of leadership is to learn how to follow. We must teach our children to follow Christ and utilize the Word of God to teach them responsibility for others.

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Proverbs 29:7 NIV).

We must teach them to have integrity in all that they do.

“He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9 NASB).

We must teach them that hard work is rewarded.

“Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” (Proverbs 13:4 NLT).

We must also teach them to always have a desire to learn.

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out.” (Proverbs 18:15 NIV).

Yes, there are many, many things that we must teach our children. The most important is to follow Christ and to use the Word of God to develop hearts and minds that have the humble attitude and love for others that Christ does.

Following in His footsteps will help them become leaders in whatever they do.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson