It is important for us to be critically aware of the limited time we have with our children, and to number our days correctly.
Our time with them is so short and we want to make sure that it counts.
I am so ultra aware of my children's time and want to make sure that I use all of it intentionally. Are they sitting in the car doing nothing? Let's play a maths game! Are they wasting time watching a movie that, if anything, is undoing some of the things I have been teaching them? Let's read a book that develops vocabulary or a love for literature, or teaches a valuable lesson!
Whether it's playing pretend, or climbing trees, or painting pictures, or even getting enough sleep, I want their time to be spent intentionally, everything moving them closer to being the person God needs them to be for the task He has ahead of them.
A Well-Prepared Child
I think of young Mary, the virgin girl, probably around twelve or thirteen years of age when an angel appeared to her and gave her the mandate for her life. She was to carry and mother the Lord himself. In that moment, as she received her purpose, young Mary was ready. Her response was one of faith and commitment to God's will for her life. Her character had been moulded to this point so that she displayed courage, submission to God, and a willingness to tackle a task much bigger than herself. She responded in a song that quoted scripture from many books of the bible. She was a young woman who had been trained to know the Word of God, to know God himself and to live a life of faith in him. Her parents had prepared her outstandingly for the task she had before her.
Trained Teens
Daniel and his friends were raised and equipped by their parents to face the world one day, when suddenly, as young adults in their late teens or early twenties, their were captured by an enemy and taken as captives. Because they were fit young men who had obviously spent lots of time playing soccer :) and running around with their friends, and were also well-educated because their parents had deemed that necessary for their lives preparation, they found themselves in favour with the enemy's king. He brought them into his own palace and gave them fancy food and clothes that they had never been privileged to have before. However, these teens didn't let it get to their heads. No, you see, their parents had not only educated them in literature and maths, and in fitness and sport, they had not only developed their minds and bodies, but had developed their characters as well. Daniel and his friends were equipped with the knowledge of what God expected of them, and were strong in character to be able to be obedient to God at risk of their lives. They had incredible wisdom to know how to serve the king and show respect, without dishonouring their God. Their parents weren't standing alongside them when these kids faced this massive test of their characters. They had been whipped away from family without warning or preparation - and yet, their parents had been wisely preparing them all of their childhood days to face whatever challenge, whatever purpose, life might throw at them in an unexpected moment.
And Even Toddlers
Hannah was a mom who had only three short years to input into her son's life before he met his destiny. Little Samuel arrived at the temple where his mom had promised to dedicate him to the Lord, and right from the start he begun to "minister" to the Lord and to the priest, Eli. His mother knew how to number her days correctly because she could almost count them on one hand!
What About Our Kids?
The thing is, most of us don't exactly when our children will need to be ready to face the ultimate test, or what exactly their purposes are. But we do know that any life worth dedicating to God is going to require knowledge of scripture, incredibly strong character, and a love for God. It might, or might not, require piano skills. It might, or might not, require a good swimming stroke. It might, or might not, require a knowledge of the anatomy of insects.
Parenting is an incredibly busy season of our lives. We are pulled in every direction by schools, doctors, ballet teachers, cricket coaches, swimming instructors and more, and it is very difficult to know how to fit everything in! At the end of the day, it is our responsibility to equip our children with intentional specific training as we see God moving in a certain area of their lives, and to fit in intentional general training in areas that we can't go wrong in.
So let's number our days aright. The skills that are variable, let's just dabble in and see what happens. They need to be fit and healthy and be able to handle themselves physically. They need to have brains that are growing and able to learn. But perhaps the early years - let's say the primary school or preparatory years, we will reap more from concentrating their hours and our energy on teaching them Godly character, discipline, knowledge of and love for God's word. As they get older and start to show a real propensity for being able to glorify God through a specific sporting talent, we can spend a little more time and money allowing those things to develop, too.
Money is limited. Time is limited. My children are exhausted at the end of their days. Let's make sure to fit in the most important things first, and then add the extras. Let's number our days, and our dollars, correctly.
Parenting Season - Number Your Days!
