Informed, Prepared, Intentional Families; Parenting

Paul David Tripp asks in Chapter 3 (pg. 40) of his book, Age of Opportunity (P & R Publishing, 2001), "what did God intend the family to do," "what does God want us to do with our teenagers?" He reflects on the number of times he hears people telling stories of their family vacations, or their elaborate plans for a vacation or weekend getaway, and how it hit him one day "that many parents are more organized, more intentional, better researched, and more goal-oriented when planning their vacations than they are in raising their children." He goes on to say,

"Imagine how a vacation would go if I "sort of" understood what a vacation was supposed to be, but I really wasn't completely sure. Imagine how it would go if I "sort of" knew where I wanted to go with my family on vacation, but I wasn't really committed to one destination. What if I had a bit of a sense of direction, but had taken no time to really study the maps? What if I knew that vacations tended to be costly, but I hadn't really prepared financially? What possibility would there be that my family would, in fact, have any vacation, let alone a successful one? So it is with family life. It is vital that we are biblically informed, biblically prepared, and biblically intentional."

True, insightful, and sobering thoughts to take to heart. Do you see any of this lack of preparation in your own life, with your own family and/or kids? I know I do. Humbling. Challenging.

Purchase Age of Opportunity today! Also get a free copy of the Study Guide and Leader's Guide!