Verse:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
" You were created for a purpose, on purpose." Julie Gorman told her audience at the FYI (For Your Inspiration) conference. Earlier that morning she handed a peanut encased in its shell to each participant. We dutifully held it, wondering why. At the beginning of her presentation she proclaimed, "A peanut has 300 purposes."
My husband, each one of my kids, and I have been created for a purpose, on purpose. Sounds a little nutty but it's true. When my kids struggle, those will be the times God trains and strengthens them so they will be ready to fulfill their calling when the time comes. These times can be pretty rough.
One twenty-year-old woman said her parents had failed miserably in one area of parenting. (Side note: Young adults love to critique and evaluate their parents' kid raising skills. Some even keep a list of "What I will do differently when I have kids." Don't be offended if this conversation takes place in your home. It's pretty typical.) The young woman went on to say that her parents never taught her what to do when she fails.
Actually... good perspective. There are times even when we do things perfectly things don't work out. Our kids need to see how we face that challenge. Do we crumble, blame, feel resentful, give up? Or do we move forward, pray, seek God, and trust that He has a purpose for us and that purpose is good? Talk to your children about times when God stretched you. Don't rescue your kids. Allow them to feel what a set back feels like and what a good response to that set back may be.
Parenting Tip:
Your child is a little nut with many reasons for being. Help him discover God's design for his life. The disappointments just may be God appointments for learning.
