Your Weekly Dose of God
Goals for Christian Parents
by: Pr. Deris Coto
For those of us who are parents and Christians, I think we have to ask ourselves, “What is my goal in raising my child (ren)?” If we don’t know what we’re aiming for when raising our children, how will we know if we’ve reached it?
If your goal is to raise a perfect child, I say give that one up – there aren’t any perfect children. If your goal is to be a perfect parent, give that one up too – you can’t do it, and you might drive your kids and yourself crazy trying to achieve it!
If your goal is to just have fun and/or get your kids old to enough to leave home, I’d like to ask you to aim a little higher. I believe our goal is to raise disciples of Jesus, to help them fulfill their divine destiny as He has called them.
Here are some goals the Bible says we should aim for as Christian parents….
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Get God’s viewpoint.
Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Learn to think of your children the way God does. It will help you as you guide them through their childhood.
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Guide them to their destiny.
We do that by helping them to fulfill the one commandment on their lives during their childhood – Ephesians 6:1. We do it by administering correction, helping them to live as a disciple of Jesus. Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim. 3:4; Deut. 4:9; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13.
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Give them a vision for their life.
Just like you, they get a vision for their life from the Word of God. Spend time in the Word together, and teach them how to read it for themselves. 2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Sam. 2:26; Luke 1:80; 2:49.
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Connect them to God.
God doesn’t have any grandchildren. You want your child to have their own vibrant relationship with God, with inner happiness, the peace of God that passes understanding, and great inner joy that doesn’t depend on external circumstances. Isa. 26:3; Psa. 128:1,2; Prov. 3:18; John 13:17.
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Connect them to the Body of Christ.
In Bible times, parents brought their children to public worship. Josh. 8:35; 2 Chron. 20:13; Neh. 12:43; Prov. 8:17,32; Matt. 21:15; Psa. 34:11; Prov. 3:1. Your children are part of the body of Christ, and that means getting along with people and finding their place. Go to church.
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Ground them in love.
Every day let them know that they are unconditionally loved, by you and by God. Sometimes their behavior needs correcting, but as a person, they are valuable and precious to you and to God. Teach them to walk in love with others – it’s the mark of spiritual maturity. Eph 3:17, 4:1-3, 1 Cor 13:4-8.
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Train them.
This is a lifetime project, but there are things they need to know, and you’re the one to help them. 6:6,7; Prov. 22:6; 2 Cor. 12:14; Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 1 Tim. 3:4,12; Tit. 2:4; Deut. 4:9; 31:13
