I have a simple goal in parenting.
When you read it you’ll probably yawn. You’ll wonder how it fits with a prayer I included in Sun Stand Still that I pray for Elijah and Graham almost every day:
“God, raise up my sons to be the greatest men of God of their generation.”
But it’s my goal for my children nonetheless. And it’s actually just as bold and audacious as my prayer for them.
My goal in parenting is to raise my kids to have a boring testimony.
In other words, to stay out of trouble and love Jesus all their lives.
Exciting, I know. But actually, it really should be exciting. I know that in the church we usually privilege and promote Christian horror stories where God brings someone back from the edge of doom. They’re compelling. Heart-tugging.
But they’re also heartbreaking. Trust me, the stories that bring an audience to tears brought far more tears to the parents who had to watch their kids live them. You don’t want that pain, for you or your kids. And while God can certainly turn our mistakes into miracles, I think He’d still prefer to turn our obedience into an opportunity. An opportunity to show that He’s not only worth coming back to, but also worth never leaving in the first place.
I still hold to what I said in Sun Stand Still. I don’t want to raise good boys and girls. I want to raise great men and women who will do great things for a great God. I’m not raising my kids to survive the world. I’m raising them to change it.
It’s just that I’d prefer that my kids change the world without having to have the world first change them. A person’s testimony doesn’t have to be spectacularly sinful to be significant.
I hope and pray my kids will have a boring testimony. I hope and pray the same thing for yours too.
We don’t have full control over whether it will happen. They will ultimately make their own choices. But with all of our power as parents, let’s work and live to see our goal realized.
Our kids will thank us. We’ll thank ourselves. And ultimately we’ll all thank God.
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