(Excerpt from Dr. White’s book “Against The Grain, Raising Christ-Focused Children From A to Z”)
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
-1 Corinthians 10:31
What type of things have you taken the opportunity to ask your child and cultivate excellence in your child? If your child has a love for crochet and knitting, like my Alyssa does, then help her find ways to strive for excellence in that area. I can’t crochet, and I can’t knit, but what I can do is support her and be her biggest cheerleader. In everything that your child does as they strive for this idea of excellence, you should be their biggest cheerleader, even when they fail. There have been times when my children have given me certain things that I may not think are excellent in my mind, but because they have put forth their best work and they’ve put forth the best energy and it is excellent in God’s eyes, then it’s excellent in my eyes.
Here are a few tips:
- Sit down with your child, or children, and find out things that they want to achieve excellence within. Is it a craft? Is it a hobby? Is it a subject in school? Take them to God’s Word and find scripture passages that would help to edify them as they are walking on this journey of seeking excellence. Ask them why it’s important for them to achieve excellence, and then begin the process of mapping out what that looks like.
- This is an area that may mean sacrifice for you. It may mean that you give up your monthly shopping trip to engage them in their area of excellence. Is it a ballet recital that they’re striving for? Is it a soccer tournament that they’re striving for? What is it that your child wants, desires, needs? Try as a parent to have a sacrificial love for your child to help them achieve that excellence.