"We give them roots, then we give them wings." Parenting is getting more complex in our frantic world. It feels like the deck is stacked against us when we confront all the completing influences in their lives.
"Give them roots, then give them wings" is an old piece of parental wisdom. "Give them roots" is the patient task of watering and feeding for maturity. It requires time and intentionality. It necessitates years of investment. Early childhood education tells us that the bulk of character development occurs in the first five years. We hear from youth ministry research that the substance of a belief system is formulated in a child by age 12 or 13. So how do we "give them roots"? How do you give not only knowledge and skill, but beliefs and character? Teaching - Set times for intentional teaching. Family devotions. Discussion questions after worship on Sunday. Read a book together. Have young children memorize the core components of our faith (Lord's Prayer, 10 Commandments, Creed). Rituals - Not spooky, weird, or cultic rituals. Rituals are habits that communicate something important. Prayer before a meal. Family dinner time. Weekly worship. Decorations at Christmas or Easter. Volunteering at a food bank once a month. Christmas caroling in your neighborhood every year. Every ritual you have communicates a value. Modeling - Let them simply observe what you do and how you do it. Know that they are watching. Let them see you pray, work, resolve a disagreement, handle a crisis, go shopping, volunteer, worship, fail, forgive, have fun . . . . Just three thoughts on "giving roots." Feel free to add some more. When you "give them roots", then you "give them wings." Every parent is raising their child to leave the house. The umbilical cord is cut. There will be a day you can't hold their hand, rescue them, or save them from a bad decision. You trust that the roots you've given them will help them to fly. And you trust the One they are rooted in. Psalm 1 Prov. 22:6 Eph. 6:1,2
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Baseball's ratings are declining, and it's fanbase is aging. In an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, Matthew Futterman shows how baseball is on a mission to be relevant in a fast-changing culture.
Sounds a bit like the church in America. Aging, declining in numbers, and denominations collapsing. Baseball has been known as "America's game." And Christianity has been known as "America's religion." You could argue against both of those today. The fourth commandment: “Honor your father and mother.”
When you honor your parents, you honor God. And when you parent well, you carry out a God-given responsibility. We parent well when:
We honor our parents well when:
I'm told there was a day when stores were closed on Sundays. And that you couldn't make a midnight run for milk because there were no Walgreens or Wal Marts. Or that after the evening news, all TV stations went to static. How my forefathers survived, I'll never know. But was such primitive existence a good thing? In modern America, we have lost sacred time - days or hours that are special, set aside, and holy. Stores and health clubs are open 24 hours a day. Club sports are scheduled every day of the week. You can order online every minute of every day. In the name of convenience and personal freedom, we have removed all barriers to our time. How we spend our time says something about who we are. It is a leading indicator of what we value. And if we have no sacred time in our schedules, what does that tell us about what we find sacred? |
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