If God is indeed infinite and His power beyond the measure of anything created, why do we give up so easily when everything in our life seems so bleak? Instead of despair, let’s change our apparel. Let’s choose to clothe ourselves with His love, His power, and His timeless eternity. Let’s replace our lost souls with the character of Jesus. Let's develop His vision, feelings, view of life, and decision making skills. Anything of ourselves is sure to fail, but developing His ways that come from His nature is sure to win.
Our Kids Quest elementary children are learning to wear the character quality of Determination. They are learning that deciding
it’s worth it to finish what you have started is a quality that Jesus wore and lived for us here on earth and still does through His Spirit inside us.
As parents, it is important that we model this for them as well. One of the areas that I think many parents want to give up in is consistent discipline. Some children respond immediately to our teaching while others have their own ideas of how to live their life. It's this second group that most call strong willed children. Strong willed children have a gift of determination, the problem is they are determined to go their own way. They are determined to finish what they have started regardless of what we have asked.
These children take more time, more energy and resolute faithfulness to steer their gift in the direction of going God's way. I will attest that it is hard to raise one of these blessings. I have one of these strong willed children. While grown, he was a bit of a challenge when younger. On some days it took all of my will and some to guide him in the right direction. However, I don't regret the consistent hand we had in his life. For now, we are experiencing the fruit of a young man of God who is resolute in following God with all his might, heart, and soul. His determination has become Christ's not his own. What kept my husband and I faithful to the cause? The same that kept Jesus faithful to His cause for us.
I can imagine that when Christ carried the cross to the destination of his crucifixion that humanly He wanted to quit. Who wouldn't? Not only was he being berated by a crowd, humiliated by His own people and neglected by His followers, He was in some serious pain. Pain I cannot even comprehend! In all of this, He was determined to finish what He started: redeeming mankind.
If you have seen movie, The Passion, you will remember the scene where Jesus was carrying the cross and his mother runs to him; wanting to help him she heard His words, "I have come to make all things new." After saying this He looks away from His mother and resolutely focuses onward to His destination. What was on His mind? What kept Him going? Love! Love for His people. His love hurled out any fear of what was to come and it hurled out any comfort he desired; for His destination was for our eternal comfort and that meant more to Him than what He needed at that moment. For perfect love casts out all fear.
The only way to choose God's character instead of our own is to not live our life in the limits of flesh; we can only find triumph in the Spirit of God who lives inside us. We as parents need to also love our children more than the comfort or relief we desire today. For the fruit of righteousness developed in our children is at stake if we give up.
When your child was born, you most likely had the goals to raise him/her to be a blessing on society, to become all that God wanted him/her to be in this life and to help each to succeed at a personal relationship with Jesus. Well, it's going to take work to make that happen. I encourage you to finish what you started because in the end it will be worth all the labor and pains it took to get there. When fear creeps in or when exhaustion temps to call for personal comfort, resist it and embrace God's vision for your children and walk in His power so you can finish the race and win!
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