Shepherding a Child's Heart

Unbiblical Goals
Parents want children to be successful so they can “do well” and
live happy, comfortable lives. This wish for success has a different
shape and definition for different people, but every parent wants
successful, happy children. We want them to have adult lives filled
with opportunity and unfettered by problems. However we define
success, we wish it for our children. We are well aware that their
upbringing has much to do with future success.
There are scores of ways parents try to produce this success.
Helping parents produce successful children is a growth industry.
Books purporting to show the way to success are legion. Programs are
developed and marketed. Experts in psychology, theology, education,
athletics, and motivation have exhausted themselves and their
audience. Let’s look at several ways parents can prepare their children
to be successful.
Developing Special Skills
Some parents involve their children in a broad range of activities.
They hustle them to baseball, football, hockey, soccer, gymnastics,
swimming, dance class, and piano lessons. These skills are not evil
and may have their place in your children’s lives. But is the measure
of the parent the number of activities provided for the child? Is the
measure of the child the number of skills developed?
Even if this frenetic pace of activity could be proved beneficial,
have you no concern as a Christian parent for the values implied and
taught by the coaches and instructors of these activities?
Will involvement in these activities have biblical content? Will
your children receive biblical instruction in an accurate self-image,
sportsmanship, loyalty, poise, endurance, perseverance, friendship,
integrity, rights, competition, and respect for authority?
Clearly, you must understand what success is. Will true success

---

depend on the skills which these activities teach? What is a biblical
definition of success?