Leading your children to maturity in Christ

Children naturally determine goodness by their circumstances. Since children are also naturally self-centered, circumstances often become the focal points of conflict. Children frequently have a different view of what is or is not a good circumstance from what their parents have. So meals, bedtimes, chore responsibilities, playtimes, etc., can become battlegrounds. 

Your mission as a parent is to help your child expand his natural understanding of goodness to also include what is behind the circumstances of his life. Reality is that God orders circumstances for his glory and not our for immediate pleasure. You must help your children understand that each circumstance brings the opportunity to serve God as opposed to serving themselves. In other words, the battle must shift from having what I want, to learning how to serve God and those whom he as placed in our lives.  Thus, meals are an opportunity for gratitude, bedtimes are for submission to authority and God’s command to rest, household chores are occasions to serve, playtimes are opportunities to delight in making others happy. 

The goal of maturity is to become more influenced by the unseen realities of faith than by the seen events of the physical world. Faith has to do with God. Even though he cannot be seen, he is to be loved and obeyed.  This can only happen by embracing Christ by faith.  So, life consists of living by faith which connects us to the unseen world shown to you by the Bible. As your children become dominated by loving the unseen God they will be able to see beyond circumstances and live for unseen realities. This is the path that leads to becoming fully mature in Christ.