What I want to be…
I love the hearts of little children. So innocent and free and…well…outspoken! They will tell you anything and everything.
I like most adults will periodically ask them “What do you want to be?” And oh the answers I will get. Seems like most of the boys today would like to be a fireman, policeman, doctor, baseball player. And the girls? They are all over the place…Veterinarian, Nurse, a person that makes clothes, a soccer player and of course… a Mom.
We as parents, want the best for our children as we naturally should. But I gently remind us…We are the guides for our children, we set the pace for our children’s lives. I’m not huge into statistics, I mainly go and tell things I have seen in life, both the good and the bad. When it comes to what WE want our children to be in life, let me give a few tips.
We want them to be KIND. – Kindness is an attribute that is seen in children from a very young age. It is important to not only to show kindness, it is important to overcome meanness. Kindness is not a weakness, it is a strength.
We want them to RESPECT. – This one bothers me quite frankly, but the lack of respect in our society is now becoming a part of our culture. Young to the old. Old to the young. Employee to the Boss. Boss to the employee. Student to the Teacher and Teacher to the student. I know there are reasons. (I have heard many of them, and had some on my own heart). How do we expect to change the world when we can’t respect the one thing that God said was VERY GOOD! Parents, teach your children to respect even in matters that are not right.
We want them to CARE. – A tender heart shows kindness and respect. Because of that we find caring individuals. Think about it for a moment parents. Who are the ones that genuinely CARE for you? (I will let you make that list.) Now ask the question, why? From what I have seen is those that have a genuine caring heart have some of the deepest friendships. It comes from those who let YOU know THEY care.
We want them to SEEK. – Ahhhh yes, find out who you are. Learn from your mistakes. Build your own faith. The answer I have to this is YES! They will find out who they are but it’s the parents RESPONSIBILITY to GUIDE! They will make mistakes…but they don’t have to make the same ones I MADE! As far as building their OWN faith? I want them to believe what I believe. I want them to establish it as their own, but I want it to be the same because it comes from the same source…God’s Word!
We want them to LOVE. – Love is seen from the time they are born into this world. They are held, kissed, hugged and told “I love you” Today, it is taken for granted. It is assumed. It is sometimes not expressed at all. I think i know the reason for this. Maybe WE forgot HOW to love. Love comes from relationship and relationships take time to build. God was clear and Jesus verified it when he stated the greatest command. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. To love God YOU must BUILD that relationship. Parents, YOU are responsible to nurture your child to KNOW GOD. That is why you need to pray, sing and read the greatest book in the world – Gods’ Word! You NEED to be at worship and classes and fellowships with others that LOVE God! It is like any other relationship, when you don’t work at it, it suffers, hurts, wounds and can lead down the wrong path. Love bears, believes, hopes, endures. Thank you God, for love.
Oh there are things WE want our children to be! But I can’t help but think with these attributes, They can be what GOD wants them to be! The rest will fall into place.
Jerry Elder 