Time flies...
Don't blink or they grow up...
Enjoy them while they're little...
A long time ago, when I could dress my kids in matching red King's Strings Polos for concerts, we were invited to entertain a group meeting at Sandy Cove. We found it to be a beautiful venue and very much enjoyed our time there. Soon after, we were invited to return but by then one or more children were in school and weekday gigs were no longer an option. (And the red shirts had long since been vetoed for what became our signature black, blue, gray, and white clothing with red chucks.)
This year a few of us returned. Eden and HopeAnne had been invited to participate in the worship team for the annual church women's retreat. The usual venue messed up the reservation and gave our church's spot to another group. Our pastor made lemons out of lemonade and found a venue to take its place this year - Sandy Cove.
And I was reminded of one of my parenting mantras - Train up a child. It's not a cliche but it should be.
I can't say it enough to my Christian parent friends: This verse does not just apply to the spiritual upbringing of our children. Proverbs 22:6 refers to their emotional, academic, relational, and vocational upbringing as well. It's also about their hobbies and interests.
The International Standard Version says it well:
Train a child in the way appropriate for him,
and when he becomes older,
he will not turn from it.
I don't know how or why I found this to be so important as a young parent (once upon a time, I was a young parent). I didn't even realize it was different from other parents until I looked around at some of the children in our children's circles. Kids running in many directions with no clear interest or pursuit, kids trying to be like other kids rather than following the direction they were to go, etc. Recently I listened to a podcast where a man was being interviewed about his wife who recently died. He was asked, "So what was she like as a mom?"
After a bit of a pause, the interviewee said something like this, "She was just so good at looking at each child and seeing their gifts and passions. And then she would nudge them in that direction, finding experiences, mentors, and training opportunities for them. And now, that's exactly what each of them is doing as an adult."
So maybe it just comes more naturally for some than others but please don't skip it just because you have to work at it. With three children past high school and two more graduating this year, I've witnessed too many of their friends pursue activities and hobbies that were not within their gifting or passion, to the detriment of the skills and attributes that were.
Be a student of your children. And when they are old, they will be satisfied, living a godly life, working and serving in the way they were created to serve.
Point your kids in the right direction—
when they’re old they won’t be lost.
Proverbs 22:6 The Message
