As a loving parent, you desire that your child’s life will count. You want him/her to take the skills and talents that God has given them and use them to impact this world for the better. Your vision is emotional and passionate. You may even, at times, have to step back because you may find yourself pushing and nudging them which can become problematic. Ultimately you want to raise what some might call a world-changer, a person of influence. Totally understandable. But how do you do that? After all, sometimes it stretches you just to get them organized, prepared, and out the door on time. So let’s take a look at some ways that can put your child on this influence track
Begin With the End in Mind
It takes a very intentional parental mindset to keep one’s eye on your child’s future. Remember this: You are raising up someone else’s possible husband or wife, mother or father. Think about the kind of man or woman you will release in a few years. What type of person would you like them to become? Think about it, cast a vision for your family, and then parent in that way.
Have you heard of the tennis player Serena Williams? Did you know that when she was a child, her father wrote out a detailed plan for her life? Now that may come across as possibly heavy-handed or even controlling. But he loved his family, was facing environmental obstacles that seemed insurmountable at the time. But he did not let that get in the way of the vision he had for her.
Become Great at Asking Questions
Albert Einstein once said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” Your parenting style will change as your child matures. One of the greatest skills we can cultivate is the ability to ask a good question. This skill not only boosts your parenting ability but can also help you in all areas of your life.
Did you know that Jesus used this style of teaching more than any other? He is the Master of questions. A well-thought-out question has the potential to produce both self and God-awareness and aids active learning as we parent our children towards maturity.
Parent From a Place of Love, and Not Fear.
We cannot function out of love and fear concurrently. These two cannot co-exist in the same place in our brains. That is why the Scriptures speak to us so much about not giving in to fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 addresses this, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We can parent out of a place of love, power, and have a sound mind. Love is expansive, responsive, discipline-orientated, and generous, whereas fear isolates us, is reactive, and often involves punishment.
Learn the Art of Discipline
Discipline and parenting go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, many parents don’t truly understand what this means. To discipline your children is to guide, correct and train, not punish them for past wrongs. It involves consequences, consistency, and, most of all, a heart of restoration. Restoring means to bring them to a place where they can look ahead and see not only the wrong way but also seize the right way.
Pray for Them
We serve a God of infinite wisdom. All we need to do is to look upward and ask our Creator to bring His influence and wisdom on our children. This simple act can bring about the extraordinary, the supernatural, and the change that only can be attributed to the providence of God. And that is all that our children will need to be the influencers and world changers that we as parents desire.
NOTE: the source material for this article can be found at https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/10-ways-to-raise-influential-kids/.
