I love the consistent Biblical counsel of Paul Tripp. Yesterday, he posted a video and communicated this encouraging message. I hope it encourages you.
My dad did a great job of imparting some everyday skills, but he didn’t prepare me for the weightier things of life. I would characterize that as relationship with God and relationships with people.
I think one of the best ways to prepare your son or daughter for life is to help them as early as possible to be enthralled with the stunning glory and grace of God. Talk about God all the time; blow their mind with the glory of God.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities. If you’re building something, stop and talk about the grain of wood. Talk about how beautiful wood is, and how that beauty came out of the mind of God. If you’re nailing something, talk about the force of a hammer and all the physics that goes on there that came out of the mind of God.
If you’re fishing, remind your child of how different a trout looks from a bass. Tell them that that came out of the mind of God. As you’re watching the sun set, talk about the God who rules the day and the night.
This is the Father’s world. This is God’s world; this world is meant to point to him. Your son and daughter may not see Him; there’s a good possibility that they won’t. But the more your child is enthralled with God, the more likely they will be to give themselves to Him.
What could be more important than that?
Then there’s the second great command – love of others.
Human relationships are hard; love is hard. But listen, love is hard not because I’m surrounded by creepy people. Love is hard because of what’s inside of my heart. I’m judgmental. I’m critical. I’m unforgiving. I’m proud. I’m competitive. I’m greedy. I’m envious. All of those are anti-social instincts.
I wish I had a dad who said to me, “Son, you’re going to be leaving this home, you’re going to be building relationships, and the greatest danger to those relationships is you. There are some things inside of you that God desires to help you with, that God sent His Son to rescue you from. And the more you face those, the more you’ll become a person of love, and the more you become a person of love, the more you’ll live a life of blessing.”
I never had those conversations with my father. Oh, I learned a lot of helpful skills. But in many ways, I didn’t know myself, and I wasn’t filled with the awe of God, in the way that would have so much better prepared me for life.