A few months ago experts found evidence that behind an average battle scene painted by a man named Vasari (who is actually famous for his writing, not art) is a work by Leonardo da Vinci. For centuries now, people have walked by this average mural not realizing a fabulous masterpiece had been painted over to create the current painting. Someone though saw something others missed and did the research to find the masterpiece hidden below what is obvious to the eye.
Most of us go through life like those thousands of people who walked by that painting for centuries. We see only what is visible to the eye – and sometimes even miss that opportunity. If we don’t teach our kids to break that cycle and learn to look below what is on the surface, their lives will not be nearly as rich and godly as they could be.
There are several parenting magazines in the marketplace. Some are actually fairly helpful. The problem is none of the secular parenting magazines really address parenting issues that are of special importantance to Christian parents. Fortunately, there is a great magazine that totally focuses on helping us.
Have you ever caught yourself saying “Because I’m the parent and I said so” to your kids? If you haven’t yet, you probably will at least once before your kids reach adulthood. There is actually value to teaching your kids to obey for the sake of obeying, especially when they are young. Having children who will immediately comply with your commands can literally save their lives.
Have you ever tried to put a piece of furniture together without the instructions? You might be successful for a time, but at some point you will find if you don’t follow the instructions exactly as written, you have a mess on your hands.
What were your childhood dreams? Did you want to be an astronaut? What changed your mind? How do you know if changing your mind was what God wanted for your life or if He had another plan you missed somehow?