A Few Questions To Ask

Like I said last week...in order to lead our teenagers to spiritual maturity, we've got to model this to them out of our own lives. I wanted to toss out a few questions you might be able to ask yourself about your own spiritual life in order to influcence your teenager.

* When my kids look at me, are they learning what it means to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength?

* Do they see me trusting God for guidance and wisdom as I plan the future, run my business, manage my home, and so on?

* Do they see me turning to God when I'm anxious, troubled, or ill?

* Do they see me living out my commitment to Christ by spending time reading and studying the Bible?

* Do they know that prayer is an important part of my life?

* Are they see God as central to my thoughts and actions or just on Sunday morning?

* Do they see a faith that is integrated into every area of my life, including my relationships, my vocation, my spending decisions, my use of leisure time, how I play, and so on?

* Do they see me care for family, neighbors, friends, and the "lepers and outcasts" of the world?

We all have wishes, dreams, hopes and desires for what our kids will become. When you dream about your kids' spiritual futures, don't forget they're learning what place spirituality and faith should hold in their lives - from you.

Eugene Peterson describes it this way: "A parent's main job is not to be a parent, but to be a person. There are no techniques to master that will make a good parent. There is no book to read that will give the right answers. The parent's main task is to be vulnerable in a living demonstration that adulthood is full, alive, and Christian."