By Janene Dubbeld
The gift of a child comes packaged with unmatched privilege and incredible responsibility. They come to us so completely dependent for the fulfilling of their needs. In the beginning it’s their cry that lets us know – something isn’t right! They’re hungry, they need to be held, they’re sleepy … whatever it is, they let us know with a cry.
The older they grow, the less their cries are physically heard. It becomes their heart cries for which we need to listen. As parents, we need God’s wisdom, as well as His enabling to hear from the heart.
Listen to them talk; perceive what’s behind the chatter. Listen to their phone conversations (or randomly read their texts). Endeavor to identify what’s being said behind the words. Interact in what they enjoy; pay close attention to their heart.
Behind it all, they really want to know: Who cares?
It’s amazing what a positive goal, an uplifting comment, a gentle word of guidance will do. Love that combines these things with some good common sense, discipline and boundaries, gives each child the security they secretly but deeply desire and need.
Our personal investment into the lives of our children reaches into every area of their lives. Who cares? If not us, who?
Education is vital for their development. It is also vital that we take our responsibility seriously enough to delve into the “who cares” of their educational environment.
• Who cares – what kind of curriculum is being taught to my children?
• Who cares – who’s teaching it?
• Who cares – what kind of atmosphere they are being taught in?
• Who cares – what kind of friends they are associating with?
We better care, because no one will care for our children like us. We have the privilege — and the responsibility — of training them at home, and protecting educational as well as other environments they are exposed to. The molding of their minds, the shaping of their characters, the pointing of their hearts God-ward — these things begin within our care.
The battle for the souls of our children is a daily one. An apathetic approach to who they are becoming is one of the enemy’s biggest tricks! If no one cares, he can spread his deceptive web strong and wide.
A purposeful approach in developing our children is what God desires. When the center of our world is Christ, He permeates every area of our lives and shapes life values that, if taught, will lead our children toward a positive, Godly future.
Who cares? We do! For we have this promise: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Put your arm around your child today — perhaps another child too — and let them know you care!
Volume 3 Issue 3 - The Renewanation Review