Aug 17, 2010

Beginning at the End

"You must know for which harbor you are headed if you are to catch the right wind to take you there." ~Seneca

In the study Right From the Start, Denis and Barbara Rainey encourage parents to "begin at the end" when it comes to parenting. They encourage husbands and wives to "discuss the vision and goal they have for their children, how they want to prepare them for adulthood." Kevin and I took the time to do just that. As recommended by the Raineys, we each came up with our own list and then combined our lists to come with the top five goals we have for our children when they reach adulthood. Here's our list...
  1. That they would have a clear, Biblical picture of who God is, which would drive them to make Him Lord of their lives.
  2. That they would have a heart to serve others.
  3. That they would have respect for others.
  4. That they would have a proper understanding of Biblical manhood and womanhood as presented in God's Word.
  5. That they would be genuine, honest individuals who feel free to be who Christ made them to be.
This list definitely gave us some direction in our parenting. While we had other things listed that we desired for our children, these are the ones we are choosing to prioritize. Your list may look different.

Kevin and I are currently working on creating some "action steps" to begin implementing these basic teachings into our children's lives. It's easy to make the initial list. It's hard to put your first foot forward to begin developing these things in your children, which is why we believe creating smaller goals under these bigger goals is so important. As we continue on in our journey I'll be sharing more. If you've never done an exercise like this before, I would highly recommend giving it a try. It's amazing to see how different backgrounds and values play into you and your spouse's lists. This exercise will not only help to grow your family, it'll help to grow your marriage as well!

Blessings,


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