Dating. A topic we do not have to address with our children (yet). But, it is on the horizon.
In order to be prepared, we are researching, reading and praying NOW for God to show us his desires and plans for our family.
We are praying now for our children to become the spouses and parents He desires them to be….and we are praying for their spouses, the homes they are growing in…and that the paths they choose between now and their marriage will be one that guards their hearts.
We began our journey at a Parents Talk with our Homeschool Group. It was a lovely evening with friends…and a wonderful speaker: Matt Brinkley, Pastor and author of Dating By the Book available through www.pactministry.org.
The term…dating has become a term that the world has changed and inundated with images that parents….loathe. It is indeed one of the greatest challenges a parent will face.
Why do we want to date? Why do our children desire these relationships? We were created to have an intimate relationship with Christ. Since the fall, we have been trying to fill our lives with things/relationships to fill that gap…..and formany, it has lead downt he path of drugs, sex and other temptations that lead to true devastation.
So, what is a parent to do?
We have to pray for our children and realize we can not change their hearts. We have to help them build a relationship with God and realize the impact they have on other people…and the impact people have on them. They need an eternal understanding…that each person has an eternal soul. We are not empty vessels on this Earth for a while…we have souls that are eternal and it is our responsibility to edify each person and treat them as a person of value. We are to help others walk away from us (every day) and feel closer to God, feel loved and to look back on any relationship as one that truly glorified God.
We have to build close bonds with our children…..spending time with them, talking with them and listening to their thoughts. These bonds must begin EARLY in life.
Matt’s discussion was amazing and he compacted a LOT into a little more than an hour…..and he left me with this Acronym:
Divine
Appointment
To
Edify
So, parents….if your children are at this age….are you leaning toward Courtship/Dating? What do those words mean to your family? They are changing for ours. We are leaning toward’s courtship, but the ‘dating’ term, as defined by the world, may be changing, at least in our home. We have a few years….but, we’re building those bridges now. We bought his book and we intend to read through it….and then, have each of our children work through the book prior to a first ‘date’/’court’…….
We want our children to begin Edifying others now……..
I hope this helps you…or sparks an interest to begin thinking ahead. After all, we are training up the next generation of parents…..
Rebecca lives in a little town just north of Atlanta, GA. She is a Child of God and is incredibly blessed to be happily married to the man she fell in love with at 17 and has three amazing children. Rebecca blogs over at Mom’s Mustard Seeds, is on Facebook…and on Twitter
Leave a Reply