RESPONSIBILITY:THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Let's have a little conversation...

Kids,

God gives each of us our own, individual purpose, dream, vision, goal for our lives. For this message, let's call it a dream. He places each human that he created into the families we were born into, the circumstances we grow up with, the location we live in and the dream that we dream (Jeremiah 1:5) to fulfill his amazing, exciting, exhilarating, sometimes difficult plan for our lives. The atmosphere that he placed us in allows us to gain the tools, knowledge and experience to chase that burning desire..... here's the BUT ....

But, only YOU as an individual can fulfill that vision.

Be it rodeo, piano, or becoming the president, only you can learn your lessons in the way they're meant to be learned for you to fulfill your dream. Not your parents, your friends, your pastor, or your coach will ever see, feel or do things quite the way you do to be able to fulfill the purpose God has put on your life. God has the path prepared, the people are in place, the opportunities are in front of you. NOW, It's your responsibility...

To make that dream come true.

To put in the days, months, years it takes to prepare.

To practice the physical skills.

To build the relationships with the people who can support you.

To strengthen your mind.

To ask for help.

To learn when being coached.

To make good choices.

To learn from your mistakes.

To observe how to continue making it happen on your own.

To educate yourself on how things in this world happen.

To build the bond with your animals so they last.

To get out of bed.

To build confidence.

To surround yourself with the right people.

And most importantly...

It's up to you to build the trusting relationship with Jesus that allows you to walk in the path he's laid for YOU regardless of what others think, say or do.

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Parents and adults,

Your dream for your child(ren) is generally a reflection of a life you have already lived, wish you had lived, or currently desire to live. That is YOUR dream that God gave you, that does NOT make it theirs. Even if they do desire to walk down a similar path, chase a similar dream, accomplish a similar goal, no two paths are identical. They will NOT experience life or their journey in the same way you did. They will NOT learn the same lessons you did in the exact same way or at the exact times. IT'S OKAY, God's got a plan! (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

Those were God's lessons and experiences for you to learn from so YOU can chase your dream AND so you can train, guide, provide and support your child(ren) in whatever path God has for them. Only they can see the vision that God put in their hearts, minds and souls. As parents and adults, we get to trust that God, the father almighty who loves all of his children, has something so special in store for them, even if we don't understand it.

We get to open the door for the next generation to follow that God given dream by providing opportunities to give them the tools and knowledge to walk their path; support through tough love, discipline, a shoulder to cry on, financial assistance to get started; introductions to the places and the people who can also support them along the way; guidance through sharing stories and showing them how you to live life by leading by example.

The bible tells us, "TRAIN up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it," Proverbs 22:6. The definition of train is: teach (a person or animal) a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time. The best way to train them for when they get old, is to lead by example and show them what it looks like as we get old(ER).

Children are not an negative if, then. It's not if I have children, then I have to quit going after my God given goals and dreams. NO! It's, if I have children then, I get to show them how to live, trust, grow, learn, enjoy and become Godly men and women who fulfill the purposes God puts on their hearts. There's no better way to train than by learning from those who have experience. There's no better way to lead than by example.

If you still have a dream, show them how to chase their dream by chasing yours. If your first dream has passed, then go find another one. Train them to chase their dream, by showing them what it takes, instead of expecting them to fulfill your dream and leaving them with uncertainty as adults. That's our responsibility as adults, to train them in the way they should go, not force them down a path from the past, a dead end or one that we gave up on.

Trust me, they'll be thankful that you showed them how to be an adult dream chaser in the long run!