Confidence
“Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
2 Corinthians 3:4-5
The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom and knowing Christ is the key to truly understanding all that He has made. He is the central figure in all of history and the cosmic reality by which we understand everything else. Any academic endeavor attempted without God is at best vain and disjointed. But as we offer our studies to Him as acts of worship he blesses our efforts and our discoveries lead us to wonder at His glory.
Though self-confidence is of some value, it cannot be the foundation of the education and rearing of children. Our culture teaches our children to makes themselves the center of their own world, an unmatched source of greatness and strength capable of anything. This is a weight the soul cannot bear. It is a fabrication that leads them into a life increasingly untethered from reality. If we determine what is good and true for ourselves, then what if we’re wrong? Who can we trust? What do we have to lean on outside ourselves? We are affirming ourselves into anxiety and depression. Instead, we must affirm the truth; namely that we know God exists, He made us in His image, and we can live meaningful and flourishing lives as we seek Him and learn to walk according to His character and design.
Cultivating a God-confidence is crucial to our spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. When we recognize God as the center and the source of all truth and reason, the standard by which we judge good and evil, and the ultimate sovereign authority over all creation, then we have a solid foundation upon which we can build our lives and our understanding of the world. So we seek to build confidence in God as He has revealed Himself through scripture and creation, to build a relationship with Him through Christ, and to build a worldview grounded in biblical truth, corroborating evidence, and the reality of Who God is.
Character
“For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Philippians 1:10-11
Character is the result of our everyday habits repeated again and again until they are second nature. However we habitually spend our days will become ingrained into us–body and soul.
So when we teach our kids phonograms or how to hold a pencil in the early years, we are laying the foundation for reading and writing in the later years. When we rehearse the Bible stories with our kids, we provide a palate of spiritual understanding from which our teen can reason about God, themselves, and the world around them.
Good character (and, therefore, good habits) require intentionality. Some may develop by chance, but more likely it will take effort and practice. Set goals. Begin with the basics, and then build on them as you go. As Andrew Pudewa reminds us: easy plus one.
If repetition is the mother of memory it is also the impetus of muscle (and mind and manners) memory. Good etiquette, good theology, good health, diligence, resilience, perseverance, kindness, creativity, reasoning, writing, prayer–any desirable characteristic–can become part of our character through repetition.
Academic pursuits build knowledge and understanding, but they also train character, precisely because they test character via the work itself, which is not always easy or enjoyable. And sometimes that is the point: we all need to be challenged–kids and parents alike–and to be encouraged to rise up and meet the challenges before us. When we do we find out what we’re made of and may find that we’re made of much more after the challenge than we were before it.
Compassion
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
A character forged by a confident faith cannot help but express itself in love. Love is simply recognizing a need and making an effort to meet it.
If we equip our families with a strong biblical worldview and provide an environment where there can continually grow in maturity, they will be the kind of people who not only recognize the needs of people around them but who can also meet those needs in caring and compassionate ways.
Of course there are needy people right in our hometowns, from displaced to disabled to down on their luck. Our kids may be motivated to make or raise money to help in a specific situation or scenario.
They may see the need for truth, clarity or common sense in the public square and be motivated to share their perspectives in writing or various media to help shed light on important matters.
They may have a heart for unreached people who do not yet know Jesus, and they work to become missionaries or translators.
As they serve at home, in church, and their local community they will develop a sense of their gifting and calling, as well as a sense of their particular passion for making a difference in the world for Christ and loving people in his name.
Our task as parents is to pay attention to our kids’ hearts. What interests them? Moves them? Bothers them? Rouses righteous action in them? What talents, gifts, and abilities are emerging as they interact with others? Where does it all intersect for them? Help them find ways to serve others that are meaningful to them. Then back them up and encourage their efforts.
Noticing a need or feeling compassion for people is an important first step, but the goal is to serve others, first through prayer, then in practical acts of love.
Courage
Like so many families, we did not grow up with the kind of education we are trying to provide for our kids. Sometimes it feels like we’re planting trees in the desert and praying for rain.
Wild West Schoolhouse 