Blog

About ten years ago I was told by a student, in a moment of vulnerability, “I just don’t know who I am!” As we sat and talked and broke down this statement it came down to him realizing that the things he had been seeking throughout his high school years were not things he really desired to do.

This student played football. He had played football all of his life. So here he was, during his junior year, playing varsity football and looking head on towards a senior year where he would again play football knowing full well that his heart wasn’t in it. It is important to know that this student’s dad played football all the way through college where he played Division 1 football in the old Southwest Conference.

This student felt pressured to do something he really didn’t want to fully do in an effort to please his dad. Now, did this student like playing football? Yes. Did he enjoy the camaraderie of playing on the team?  Yes. But was this something, looking back, that he wanted to devote this much time to? He didn’t think so. He was stuck. He was hurting. Now, do kids follow in their parents footsteps? Absolutely! This happens all the time, but sometimes we force our kids to be something WE want them to be instead of allowing them to figure out who God created them to be.

When we look at our kids, we are looking at a child who is created by God, in the image of God and given to us ON PURPOSE! We get to nurture, care for, love, and guide these children for 18 years until they leave our home and then at that point we pray we did enough.

God didn’t make a mistake when he gave us our children. We have the honor and privilege of loving the children we have. They are unique. They are not other people’s kids. They are just the way they need to be. We get to shepherd them into the love of Christ which is such an honor. May we have the wisdom to allow them to discover who they are, to discover their gifts and talents, and how to use them for the glory of Christ. May we resist the temptation to live our own lives and our missed opportunities through our children. They do not exist for our glory. They exist for the glory of Christ.
 

Joel Gutowsky
Director of Student Life
Logos Preparatory Academy