Were you raised (by your parents/guardians) or did you just grow up?
My little champs have just crossed the midpoint (6 months) of reading through the Bible in one year. It just didn’t happen. We intentionally agreed to waking up at 4 a.m. for one hour, to peel through the scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.
We need to raise Christlike Children, because:
- Christlike children bring pride to their parents (Proverbs 23:24 NLT, “The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.”)
- Un-Christlike children bring shame to their communities (Proverbs 29:15 NLT, “To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.”)
- Children become what they watch (Genesis 13:12 NLT, “So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.”)
Relatively, our parents raised us with little intentionality. As a result, we grew up with limited or negative father/mother-child interactions. Intentionality means, being conscious and deliberate in the choices one is making regarding their children.
For example, you can choose to set aside time to spend with your children in an activity they love. Or you can allow the busyness of like to limit your interactions to when your are paying their school fees or taking them to hospital. Both choices have outcomes.
I talked about Raising Christlike Children on August 16, 2023 (check it on YouTube). Ultimately, children need intentional and ongoing guidance from their parents.
For lovers of reading, below is a copy of my teaching notes on this topic: