Family Connection 10.18.2010

Family Connection
10.18.2010
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:1-6 (NIV)
“Make wise choices!”-Any parent of a middle school or high school student to their child 
One of the best things we can understand about being parents is that we are to train up our child in the way he/she should go. Even though the years may seem to fly by, God gives us the time we have with our children to prepare them to follow Him as they grow. If we find ourselves calling out to our children that we want them to make wise choices when they are in their teenage years, we should work on teaching them how to make wise choices while they are young (remember that most of the things our children know are “caught” rather than “taught” so we should make sure we are asking God how to make wise choices ourselves).
A couple of years ago I read the book, The Best Question Ever by Andy Stanley, and in it he highlights the importance of asking the question, “Based on my past experiences, current realities and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?” This may seem like a simple question but I have found this question to be very helpful personally as I have faced difficult decisions and one we ask our children on a regular basis (In fact, it was almost two years ago I asked myself that question in regard to my weight and that led me down a path where I ended up losing about 40 lbs).
The book of Proverbs is full of ways to find God’s wisdom and is very useful for training up our children. There may be some things in Proverbs that your children aren’t facing at this point but probably will some day. I would encourage you to take the time to focus on God’s wisdom with your children and train them up in a way where they can see what a “wise choice” looks like. I would encourage you to point out examples from your life when you make wise choices and if you feel especially brave, point out those times when you have made unwise choices and the consequences that have followed. When we spend the time helping our children make wise choices now, this training will assist them later on in life.
Walking by your side,
Brett Humphrey
Pastor H

PS-Thank you to the 39 people who responded to my email last week, your responses will help us make a better ministry for your children and family.