WK3 You’ll Be Glad You Did: As a Parent

WARM UP: What do you see as the goal of parenting? How well do you think you did or are doing as a parent? If your kids are grown and gone, what’s one thing you wish you could go back and do differently?

The goal of parenting could be summarized like this: To set them up for the day we send them off.  As parents, we are preparing our kids for the kid when they will be independent and make their own decisions. To do this well, we need to answer two questions as parents and influencers: What is the goal? What is my role?

READ ABOUT IT: DEUT. 6:1-10
1.   What is the hardest part of parenting for you in this current stage? The most rewarding?
2.   This past Sunday, Pastor Steve said, “When it comes to our kids, our vision is too small.” So, let me ask you: Do you tend to be future oriented when parenting or engaged in the present? What is the advantage of each? What is the disadvantage?
3.   Read Psalm 78:1-7.Who is this passage charging with the responsibility to invest in the next generation?
4.   What was the vision/goal God wanted the people of Israel to hear? (verse 7).
5.   Five suggestions were given for parenting and investing in the next generation: give God priority, enlarge your vision, begin with yourself, create a rhythm, and widen the circle. Which of those five do you need to work on the most?
6.   Pick one of the five that you would consider your strongest. Share one tip that you have for succeeding in that area.
7.   How can you invest in the next generation this coming season?

WRAP IT UP: God has a much bigger vision and plan for the next generation than to get through their younger years unscathed and settle into a comfortable adulthood. We should have the same vision that God does. Investing in the next generation will require sacrifice – it will cost us something. But if we are willing to set aside our own desires and our own comforts for the sake of the next generation – It will be worth it.

LEADER TIPS: What better week to talk about serving in family ministries than this one? VOLUNTEER IN PEAK-KIDS, SUMMIT STUDENTS, OR NURSERY!