Prepare Your Children for Life

Prepare Your Children for Life by Rick Warren

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52 NIV) The Bible says that one of the goals for parenting is to prepare your kids for life. God intends the family to be a learning center for life. You learn things in your family that you don't learn anywhere else. I remember when my youngest taught me how to burp and sneeze at the same time — a very cool thing! I don't know if I'll ever use it anywhere, but it's a great spiritual experience to be able to do that. You learn life's basic skills in the family, like how to walk, talk, eat, and use a TV remote. God says we are to prepare our kids for life. The Bible says this about Jesus in Luke 2:52: "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (NIV). This verse says there are four ways Jesus grew, and these are the same four ways you, as a parent, have to help your children grow. The Bible says: Jesus grew in wisdom — that's mental or intellectual growth. Jesus grew in stature — that's physical growth. Jesus grew in favor with God — that's spiritual growth. Jesus grew in favor with men — that's social growth. Those should be the goals you have in your family for each of your children, which focus on balanced growth: mental, physical, spiritual, and social. The Bible is very clear that the primary responsibility of raising children and helping them be prepared for life belongs to the parents. The moment you took part in a conception you got a job description; raising your children well is your responsibility. Help your children grow strong mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. Talk About It Part of your job description is described in Deuteronomy 6:7: "Repeat [these commandments] again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." How do you teach your children the commandments of God? What new things might you try? Deuteronomy 6:7 implies 24/7 instruction. What ways can you incorporate teaching your children into your daily routine?