The Way THEY Should Go

I read a quote in the April 2008 issue of the Christianity Today magazine. It was from Khaled Hosseini in his work, The Kite Runner:

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

How often do we, as parents, impose on our children OUR ideas about who they should be? I struggled with that from time to time as our kids were growing up. I know we are in a position to help guide their thinking. But when we make them become who WE want them to be, without any wiggle room for them to discover for themselves who GOD made THEM to be, it's like trying to color them with our favorite colors. The result? Rebellion.

Instead, become a student of your student. How has God uniquely packaged them? What do they love? What do they dislike? What are their fears? Are they drawn to music, sports, academia? People-oriented? Task-oriented? (See Proverbs 22.6)

Allow your children to be who they were meant to be, with your loving, parental guidance and you'll be Serving Strong!