On Course?

Prov.22:⁶ (MSG) “Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.”

Rom.12:⁶ (LB) “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.” In my business, I discovered that I am really not interested in money and that’s not good for business, I can give everything away and, that can be a problem. So, I needed to get someone that is actually interested in money otherwise that business was not going anywhere.

Similarly, in church I needed to get someone that focuses on the money. Left to me, I will give all the money away solving people’s problems. So, I needed someone who can actually get to the bottom of things, identify genuine needs and then we can focus on those. You can’t be exceptional in everything. Your gifts are strong indicators of your calling. When your gift matches your job, then your work becomes a natural expression of who you are.

As a parent, one of the best things you can do for your children is to help them find their natural bent – helping them identify their God given capabilities and abilities. Prov.22:⁶ (AMP) “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it” [with emphasis]. A bent is what the child likes doing, which can range from dancing to fixing things. Do not try to make them exceptional at your own bent. Your child does not like playing football; do not forcefully groom him to become a footballer.

I have seen a father take his son to practice penalty shots. The boy was standing right in front of the empty goal post and he kicks the ball into the sky. Some children have the bent no doubt and need to work on technique, but some look like fish out of water. This father was insisting the boy must become a footballer. My advice is stop wasting your time and stop frustrating your child. That child will find satisfaction when you guide him or her aright.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me point my children in the right direction so that they will flourish in their individual gifts and not be lost, in Jesus Name. Amen!