Godly Parenting: What Does the Bible Say About the Purpose of Having Children?ናሙና

Train

Hopefully, your appreciation for God gifting your children to you specifically and divinely has become more evident over the last day. The truth is that you and your children are valuable. Just as God has a wonderful plan for your life, God also has an awesome plan for your child's life. And sometimes we must be reminded of that. Inside your child there are many gifts that God wants them to realize, and they are only realized in the right environments. Just like a plant, it cannot properly grow without being in the right space, receiving the right sunlight, the right nutrients, and enough water. You are your child’s dedicated gardener, and you have to seek the Lord on how to help your child grow into the person God designed for them to be in this current time in history. Every child needs a different attention level and commitment.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (NKJV)

Another translation says, "direct your child on the right path.” What theologians believe this proverb is alluding to is the fact that God has a divine blueprint for your child. Just like a building. And it is the parents’ responsibility to first set up a sturdy biblical foundation and then guide the child on the right path to reach their divine destiny. This in turn will help them be built and molded in the way to serve the Lord when they grow older. Yes, there might be some hiccups on the way, but the fact is that we as parents must do our best to train them not just to exist but to thrive as a citizen of heaven and in the army of the Lord. Today, ask God what is your child's future blueprint. Ask God to give you a specific strategy on what is the right training ground (e.g. career, church, trade school, sport, etc.) for them. When God gives it to you, make sure you write it down and pray over it. Remember you were made for something great, and they are too. When they are fully engaged in their purpose, it will be for the glory of God, and it will also point others to a relationship with Jesus Christ.