27 TEACHING CHILDREN PURPOSE EMPOWERS THEM
TO PLAN.

“What’s your purpose in doing that?” asked the parent.

Help your child write a purpose statement for their life. As they grow older, the purpose statement may expand. Jesus indicates that primary purpose is loving God wholeheartedly and loving others and ourselves fervently. Are you willing to teach that to your children?

A simple purpose statement may be:

I am loving God by_____________________________________.

I am loving others by____________________________________.

I am loving myself by____________________________________.

Any plan that lines up with my purpose is on purpose.

Any plan that contradicts my purpose if off purpose.

“So Johnny, how does taking Billy’s toy show Billy that you love God and him?” asked the godly parent. Johnny has been learning from his parents that loving God and others comes before loving self. Johnny must now plan to return Billy’s toy and apologize.

As a teenager, Johnny begins to make life decisions based on his purpose. Those plans reflect God’s will because they are on purpose. Scripture declares that there is a “time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). Help your child discover purpose before they make plans about the future.

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matt. 22:37–40).