Age of Opportunity January 25, 2010

My children are now 4, 8 and just turning 11.  In the recent months it has become quite apparent to me that we are entering a new phase with my oldest son.  All of a sudden, things seem different………his responses, questions, doubts, fears and joys are markedly changed.  It took me a little while to begin to see what was happening.  Then, suddenly it dawned on me.  He is getting ready to enter adolescence.  I must admit a little panic set in, not because of fear of what was happening to him, but more-so of feeling unprepared for the changes.  I knew they would one day come, but really didn’t know what to expect.  Then I remembered a book I had bought a while ago, which had been recommended by many friends.  It is Paul Tripps “Age of Opportunity.”  I have started reading it and oh how helpful it is to me.  It is both very practical and encouraging.  It is helping me to see the big picture, but also showing me how to put it all into practice.  The following is an excerpt which has been particularly helpful to me.

“We need to teach our teenagers what it means to live for God where they live every day, in all those unspectacular moments at home, at school, or with friends.  There are two questions that, if regularly asked, will bring God into every one of those moments.  We want to ask them of our teenagers until they learn to ask them of themselves.  They are summarized by these two words:  trust and obey….In every situation we want our teenagers to have a heart for God.  We want them to have the goal of living to please him.  So we must encourage them in every situation to ask, “What, in this situation, are the things that God calls me to do that that I cannot pass on to anyone else?” …Once the teenager has biblically clarified those responsibilities, the only proper response is to obey.   The word trust points the teenager to the fact that he has limits….So we need to get our teens to ask this question:  “What, in this situation, are the things I need to entrust into God’s capable and loving hands?”……we need to teach our children that every moment is God’s moment.  There is always a higher agenda than personal happiness, there is a bigger, more significant story than their story of the moment, and in every situation, they are called to trust and obey God.”