We never know what – or who — the Holy Spirit will use to draw our children to Him.
At just the right time, He may bring a spark, an insight, a message that makes a tremendous difference in their lives.
Often, especially as our kids get older, He uses what others say — more than what we say — to impact our kids.
We just have to be willing to get out of the way and present opportunities to allow that to happen.
Despite the pushback we’ve received, we’ve encouraged our children to hear other voices through camps, conferences and other Christian events.
Here are some typical responses to these efforts that we’ve received from our kids:
“Is this going to be lame, Mom? I just want to hang out with my friends!”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way I’m going to that!”
“You can’t make me go!”
So, we’ve sweetened the pot. We’ve allowed them to invite a friend or tacked on another activity that they’ve chosen, such as shopping or going to a favorite restaurant.
Works like a charm.
And then they go and it’s a life-changing, thunderbolt experience for them every time.
Actually, no.
Usually they like it. Sometimes they love it.
It’s great for them to be around lots of other kids who are fighting the same battles and trying to follow God.
It’s powerful to hear the messages we’ve been giving them for years from someone else’s mouth.
But is every experience always life-changing? The jury is still out on that one.
Still, we have to keep in mind that each time they go, it’s another deposit in their faith bank. We never know what will prompt them to make a withdrawal.
We just have to keep filling it up.
So here’s your “bold faith” challenge for today: Choose one event, conference, camp or other “get out of town” activity for your child or children. Pray that God will lead you to just the right opportunity that each child needs. As well as we know our children, He knows them better.
To get you started, here are some events you might want to check out:
- Pure Freedom
- Girls of Grace
- Steubenville Youth Conferences
- Modest is Hottest
- Acquire the Fire
- Young Life Camps
- Life Teen Covecrest
- Life Teen at Hidden Lake
- Kanakuk Camps
We know it can be expensive, especially if you have multiple children. We’ve found that it helps to plan ahead and pace out when each kid goes. Looking for ones that are close to home can be helpful, too.
But just think about all the money we spend on our kids’ education, sports, music lessons, etc.
How we choose to spend our time and money sends an important message to our children about what we value.
Doesn’t it make sense to regularly invest our resources in the single most valuable thing that we can give them: bold, active, passionate faith?
Written by Melinda Means and Kathy Helgemo
