To get where you are going, you have to know the destination

I have been chewing on the thought of what I want a student to be like when they graduate from the student ministry at Sycamore Creek Church.  (I posted my thoughts here).  But as I have thought about it, that question really applies to parents as well.  So let me challenge you to think about this-

“What do you want your child to be like when they leave your home?”

After all, most parents would agree that one of the goals of parenting is to prepare your child for a life outside your home.  But I am concerned that parents don’t think strategically (myself included) about how to get their child to where they want them to go.  And one of the big reasons is that parents may not have thought about what they want their child to be like at that point.

Maybe I am wrong, and you have thought about it.  But if you haven’t, seriously think about the destination.   I mean-

- How do you want your child to handle difficult circumstances?
- How do you want them to handle failure?  Success?
- What character qualities do you want them to have?
- What kind of person do you hope to see looking back at you?

Once you begin to see the destination, you can then begin to figure out the path to get there.  No longer will it be “fly by the seat of your pants” type of thing when you know the destination.  It becomes about reaching that goal and doing everything you can to get your child to that point.

Now I have to go and do the same thing for my kids.  The Destination can be set right now…