Stand Before Kings

Proverbs 22:29 (NAS)

Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before obscure men.

     Before my children were even born, I-like many others-had dreams of what they might become.  I wanted these bundles of potential to reach their highest heights.  Proverbs 22:29 reminded me that being skilled at your work, no matter what you do will result in recognition and praise from others.  Each of my bundles of potential has been gifted by our Creator with talents that need to be discovered and developed so that they can be counted among the skilled in their field.

     How do we discover these divinely bestowed talents?  Be watchful.  There is often physical evidence.  Are their math pages full of doodles?  Do they write so much that you're considering the purchase of a forest?  Do you trip over their latest Lego or K'nex creations while trying to kiss them good night?  Many times their gifting is literally right in front of your nose.

    Maybe you won't see it, but you'll hear it.   Your child may sing everywhere and anywhere, including in the bathroom.  He may want to play that new instrument much longer than he is required and even longer than his siblings or you care to hear it.  His talents may become evident as you converse throughout the day.  One of my sons discovered a pattern for squared numbers and shared it with me during our normal school day.  The more I listen, the more his God given gift for engineering becomes apparent.

     Sometimes we don't trust ourselves to recognize our child's talent.  We may find the affirmation we are looking from others who observe our child.  Upon meeting my young son, a professional performer noted his talent for acting. I was flabbergasted.  It took him all of ten seconds to see what I have known and sometimes denied for years.  Which brings me to my next point, what if our child's talent doesn't fit our personal bias?

    I never prayed, "Lord Jesus, please gift one of my sons with the ability to act so that he might know hunger...Amen."  We don't know how the Lord will choose to use each talent that is given.  Who are we to stifle the uniqueness of our child given to him by the all-knowing, perfect Creator.  God did not make a mistake when he gave Kirk Cameron the ability to act.  An actor can even become President of the United States.  No, let us not let our personal biases hamper the work of the Lord.  He is sovereign and what He wills will stand.  Will we take an active part in it?

     Now that you may feel a burden on your heart to develop your child's talents, here are some suggestions for following through.  Pray about it.  Pray that you will see the opportunities before you and choose wisely.  Pray that you will be at peace if you can't "afford" lessons at this time.  If this is from God, it will not fail.  Trust His timing.

     Give your child the resources he needs to develop his talents at home.  This may be reams of paper, a butterfly net, clay, or simply books on the subject of interest.  (Never underestimate giving a child a book that really holds his interest. This may have the added effect of increasing his reading skills quickly.)  Be sure to keep these special supplies on hand.  Lessons are great because it's easier to assure consistent training, but much can be accomplished informally at home.  In fact, if this is your child's special gifting, he will usually have the desire to put in time developing it.

     He may want to spend endless hours doing whatever it is he loves.  Great!  However, it will also be your job to help him balance his education.  You may find he has to exercise more self-discipline to learn subjects that don't come naturally.  This will become part of his character training. 

     While it's important to encourage his talents, don't become obsessive.  Whether it be football or chess, dance or robotics, don't push so hard that they lose their childhood.

A great Scripture to remember to stay in balance is "Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Col. 3:17

     And remember, even though this child may one day be distinguished enough to stand before kings, he is still, today, a child.

People of the Apple: Instilling Curiosity in Our Children

     Everyone is familiar with the story of Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity.  Whether or not an apple fell on his head giving him this revelation, the fact that he had a naturally curious mind is undeniable.  Any inventor, great scientist, successful engineer, outstanding playwright, and so on, must have a sense of curiosity.  It's the most natural mode of true learning.
    When our children are sat down and told what they must learn their retention is very low, unless they happen to be extremely interested in the subject matter.  However, when their curiosity is piqued, and they initiate the learning session, they remember most of what they learn.  Grab these opportunities.   Create these opportunities.
     In our over scheduled lives it can be difficult to stop and research a bug your 7 year old brings to you.  Maybe that's a sign of a problem. ( I am speaking to myself as well here.) Valuing learning for a lifetime is not just emphasizing good books, it's encouraging curiosity.  If your schedule is too full, make it a point to drop something next season, quarter, or semester.
      Have patience with your curious children so that you won't squelch their curiosity.  "Why does it work that way?"  "Where does that come from?"  "How come that math equation works?" One of my children in particular has an extremely curious mind.  He has driven me crazy with the why's sometimes.  I have not always been the patient mom with him.  Many times I just wanted to move on with the lesson.  However, the result of that curiosity is that he is an excellent problem solver and can fix just about anything.  Recently he was working at a friend's house cleaning her gutters.  She had a problem with one area not draining well.  He studied the situation and gave her his solution to her problem. 
     I believe that all children begin with a certain level of God given curiosity.  If we have patience and answer those questions, they will really learn and they will be encouraged to ask more.  Bombardment with media, movies, television, computer, video games, keep our children from engaging their minds.  Removing, or at least limiting these, and encouraging free play will give our kids time to think.  On the way home from church last night one of my four sons said, "May I play with your iphone?"  He told me he was bored because it was too dark to read his book.  Letting him play on the iphone wouldn't have been wrong, but I didn't.  Instead I challenged him," You don't have to be entertained all of the time, why don't you talk with us or just think."
    If we are used to relying on media or scheduled activities to keep our kids busy, the change to becoming "people of the apple" may be bumpy at times.  However, the result is well worth it.  Our children will be able to fully develop their God given talents, not distracted by the futility of this world. What will you do the next time your child asks, "Why mommy?"