NO guarantees.

"Parenting IS HARD work with no guarantees."

That is the OPENING sentence of Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna. 

That is really encouraging, right?

It goes on to say “What makes this task most difficult, though, is that for those of us who have decided to follow Christ as our only hope for gaining truth, purpose, direction, and eternal security, there is no obligation that has greater significance than parenting.”

Bam. That stings a bit.

“There is NO greater obligation that has greater significance than parenting.”

I have been wrestling with this sentence.

Do I believe it?

Do you believe it?

Chapter one goes on to talk about how societal standards for measuring how children are doing has become the norm but Barna challenges us to think about the idea “that God is the absolute judge of how well our children are doing, that His standards examine the character and faith of our young people, and His ways are often not facilitated by many of the activities we promote or endorse, regardless of our ignorance or good intentions. You get what you measure.”

What do you measure? Be honest with yourself. What do you measure?

“What does God measure? Our hearts. He created us to love, serve, and obey Him. So He studies the indicators of our devotion to Him. As parents, then, our job is to raise spiritual champions.”

How would you define spiritual champion? I would love to hear your definition.

The last challenge that comes in chapter one is this: “The responsibility for raising spiritual champions, according to the Bible, belongs to the parents.”

As someone who has worked in church ministry for 20 years I wish I could put this quote on a flag and raise those flags all over the world. Time after time I see parents that believe it is the churches job to teach their kids the spiritual side of life. But I realize this is because most parents don’t know where to start when it comes helping their children develop the spiritual side of their life.

What I love about this book is that it gives you steps to take. It takes you on a journey as a family to make this a priority.

What tools do you believe would help you as a mom in raising a spiritual champion?