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"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might... teach them diligently to your children, when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, and when you wake up." Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Guardrails Pt. 2


Swerve


PARENT SYNC:
Read Proverbs 13:20

Our students live in a world that is consistently pulling them away from what they know is right. Their friends and peers can often be the ones pulling them in those directions. We would all agree that it isn't good to only have "Christian" friends because we know it has a tendency to limit our child's worldview (and kind of moves them away from the Gospel). But as parents, we also know it's not good if our kids let their friends pull them the wrong direction.

And to add to that tension, we all have regrets from our past. And most of those regrets revolve around friendships, dating, and decisions that pulled us away from God.

This week, we determined that:
Our friends influence the quality and direction of our lives

Eventually, the people we spend time with with influence us. In Proverbs 13:20, we see that if we spend time with fools, we will become fools. If we spend time with the wise, we will become wise. So the real question becomes, "How do I help my child recognize foolish and wise choices... especially when it comes to friendships? Maybe the following discussion will help... I would suggest that with this topic, you use the 80/20 rule. You listen 80% of the time and only talk 20% of the time. Tell them, "I heard you talked about friends on Sunday. There was a phrase "our friends influence the quality and direction of your life"... what did you think of that talk this past Sunday?

Discuss the following...

  • What is it that you like most about your friends?
  • What worries you most about your friends?
  • What are some guardrails you have made in regards to your friends?
Further Study: One of the best books I think every parent should read is "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley. Over the next couple weeks, we are taking the High School group through the process of learning how to ask the best question ever ("What is the wise thing to do?")... but it would be good for us parents to read the book and begin to teach our kids to apply it when it comes to the decisions they are making in life. 

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