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Kids are great. That’s one of the best things about our business, all the kids you meet… It’s a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to games and call you names. – Charles Barkley
All of us who are parents, grandparents or guardians, have the incredible responsibility of sharing the truths of God with those in our care.
King David wrote,
“Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” – Psalms 71:17-18
Just like David sought to share with those in his generation how God had exercised His power in his life, we have the privilege of demonstrating His power to our children and they will have the privilege of demonstrating His power to their children.
As parents, our desire is to raise our children up in the way they should go in the hope that when they are adults, they will continue in that way. With that in mind, the big question now is, “When do I start this process? How old should our children be before we begin to train them in the way of the Lord?”
Ideally, we would start when they are in the womb: reading the Bible to them, praying with them, helping them to know us and to know just how important God is in our lives.
Nevertheless, even if your children are older, start where you are…no matter the age. Where else can we start other than where we are? So, do not be discouraged because time has passed. Your children love you and they want you to lead them.
You can start today. Begin by immediately implementing those principles God impresses on you. As you put the effort in, you will be so amazed with the early results that you will be inspired to continue.
The good news is that it’s easy. What I mean by easy is that you can do it. It may be challenging but much of what you will read in these series of articles is challenging – however, with God’s help, you can do it. Still not convinced? What is the other option? The other option is that you convince yourself that raising Godly children is hard and because it’s hard, you convince yourself that you cannot do it.
As parents, we pray that the foundations we lay and the training and instruction we instill in our children will lead them to be adults who continue to be followers of Jesus. Although the Bible is not a traditional rulebook, it is full of principles that when we obey them, we lay a foundation for our children so that when they are older they will continue to live for Christ.
ABOUT ANTHONY DICKERSON
Anthony Dickerson, SPHR, is the Chief Strategy Officer at Christ Church in Montclair and Rockaway, New Jersey. He is responsible for developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining all corporate strategic initiatives.