When I get to the end of my life, I don’t want to look back and remember the cars that I owned, the vacations we went on or the homes we lived in during our lifetime. I believe I will think about my life, and how I have invested it in my children and grandchildren.
One powerful way to invest in future generations is to lead your family to seek God’s approval. Children have a strong desire to belong. They want to know that they fit somewhere and are a part of something. That starts with demonstrating to them how they fit into God’s family, while a part of your family.
Children want to please their parents. They seek your approval. It’s important to teach your children to seek God’s approval and not your approval. When they find God’s approval, they will automatically have your approval.
You can encourage your children to seek God’s approval in very practical ways:
- Encourage them to pray about the things that concern them.
- Help them discover what the Bible says about that particular thing.
As a parent you help them search in scripture what God’s desire is for them, in this situation. They may be struggling with friendships at school. They may be experiencing difficulty in getting along with their siblings. Maybe your young adult child needs to make a decision in finding a job or choosing a big career move.
No parent wants their child to have to go through the challenges and disappointments in life that they’ve been through. Every parent wants their child’s life to be better than their own. Because we want them to be successful in everything that they do, we must live what we preach. As you seek God’s approval in your life, it demonstrates to them that God’s way is the right way. Let them see this principle in you, so that it becomes a part of their experience.
Intentional ONE THING Challenge
If you could do ONE THING and know that it would make a significant, lasting, possibly life-changing difference in your life, would you do it? Dr. Carlson shares the power of ONE THING and why you should get started doing your ONE THING today.
Tell Us
In what circumstances in your own life do you need to seek God’s approval? How can you use that to demonstrate this principle to your children? We’d love to hear your stories. Post your comments below.
