In the last issue I talked a bit about character development. Perhaps this issue is a good place to discuss the topic further. As this issue appears in your mail box, you’re likely gearing up for another school year (except for those hardy folks who school all year round—my hat is off to you). The curriculum has arrived, lesson plans are complete, the school work area is tidied up, and you’ve probably reviewed all the “Homeschool Survival Guides.” So the question must be asked, “How does character development fit into all this?”

A friend of mine is an elder at a church outside of town. He told me he was planning to have a guest speaker come to address the topic of “Raising Spiritual Children”. He pointed out that many times they have had ministry on raising obedient children, moral children, diligent children and so on, but never on the topic of raising spiritual children. To be sure, we cannot give them a spirituality any more than we can give them salvation. But we can be the instruments God uses to bring about a deep, rich personal spirituality in our children. And while we all want our children to be obedient, moral and diligent, for the Christian parent this is not enough.

I wish I had all the answers. Right now, all I have is ideas. Ask me in 20 years whether these ideas were right! But here are a few ideas I’d like to share. This same friend works at home. Each morning at breakfast he spends just a minute or two telling his children something about the Lord Jesus. This not only keeps him on his toes, but educates the children and shows them that Christ is worth thinking about each day. Likewise we should teach our children what worship is, and what worship is not. While we should help them to see the importance of corporate worship in church, we should also encourage them to develop their own personal worship life. Finally, we should encourage them to read books about men and women who lived the Christian life on a higher plain. When children see a strong spiritual Christian life as worth having, they will want it too, and will not rest until they have it for themselves.

In Service,

Shawn