God's Handiwork

February 3, 2010

By Elizabeth Norman

So, I want to talk about how our kids don't seem to know who they are. I know some do; our "Christian" kids do seem to be more clear about who they are than their non-believer peers. But still, I notice even our brightest, cutest, most clever kids struggling constantly with insecurity.
 
Why are our kids, children of the Most High God, Joint Heirs with Christ, royalty in the truest sense of the word, insecure about who they are?
 
Not insecure you say? Wake up! If we're not insecure, then why do we dress up EVERY time we leave the house? Makeup? Why don't kids greet each other with smiles in the hallways at school? Or greet each other at all for that matter. I can't count the number of times I say hello to kids I've known for years in the hall at school, only to be ignored. Are we so afraid of rejection we can't have manners? I also notice perfectly intelligent kids "dumbin' it down" in front of classmates because being smart is un-cool. I see girls having entire conversations with their friends while looking in the mirror at THEMSELVES! I see kids hiding behind labels like "poser," "skater," "atheist," just to beat the crowd at rejection. This is not how royalty acts: head down, frowny faces, isolated, chameleons...

What happened? Are we telling our kids who they are? Are we telling them about their heritage of being Children of the Most High God? Do they know what it means to be Joint Heirs with Christ? Do we live that way so they can know what it looks like? Do we example grace, forgiveness, genteel spirits? Do we live regally? Do we live from positions of power or fear? Chosen-ness or common-ness? I'm afraid I'm not feeling very confident in my own parenting as I write this...

We CAN do better! I know I can! Let's start telling our kids how precious they are, how treasured they are in the eyes of Father God; how mighty they are to live lives full of peace, freedom, adventure-like princes and princesses--REAL ones! And let us remember to teach them of their royal role of caring for others!

 What if we started living as if to raise a whole generation of royalty of the most eternal kind--children of the Most High God--set apart--Holy because He is holy!