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The Power of a Parent

By building your child's character, you can help shape the


future.
by Dennis Rainey

The Great Wall of China is one of the great wonders of the world, a true masterpiece of
engineering. I'm told that six horses could trot side by side on top of it. I've walked on it, and I
was amazed to see this massive structure snake its way through the mountains.
China built the wall to protect it from invasion. But in the first 100 years after the wall was
completed, enemies invaded the country three times. Do you know how?
The invaders didn't go over the wall. They didn't smash holes through it, or burn it down.
Instead, they bribed the gatekeepers. While China was building this amazing defense system, it
neglected its children by failing to build character in their lives--the type of character that could
withstand temptation.
I think of that story whenever I hear parents talk of the dreams and goals they have for their
children. Many parents today are vitally concerned with the education their kids receive and the
skills they develop. They spend hours shuttling them to school and to various extracurricular
activities. They look forward to the day when their children will enter the working world and
establish successful and lucrative careers.
One thing is often missing in these dreams and plans, however: Character development.
Too many parents are more concerned with IQ than with CQ--character quotient.
In the end, your child's character will provide the foundation for his life. I believe the leadership
crisis we are facing in our government, in our businesses, and in the church are all traced back to
this issue of character.
As Omar Bradley, the famous World War II general said, "We have grasped the mystery of the
atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The world has achieved brilliance without
conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants."
Do you realize the power you have as a parent? When you help raise children with godly
character--children who will follow Christ and withstand the pressures of the world--you are
helping shape the world in the next generation.
Building character into a child means building patterns of behavior to respond properly to
authority and to life's circumstances. As 1 Timothy 1:5 tells us, "But the goal of our instruction
is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
Responding to authority is important because we all under the authority of Christ. A child must
learn how to submit to God in every area of his life. A proper response to life's circumstances
means showing your child how to walk with God so he will display the fruit of the Spirit--love,
joy, peace, patience--no matter what he faces.
Character is what will help your child keep within his budget as an adult.
Character is what will lead him to turn to God in a time of hardship and pain.
Character is what will help him pursue his mate to resolve a major conflict in a loving
manner.
Character is what will enable him to make that extra phone call or work that extra hour to
do his job right.
Character is what will direct him in times of material prosperity and in a financial crisis.
And character is what will give him the strength to keep his mind and body pure when
everyone in the world and everything within him says, "Just give in to that temptation. It
won't hurt you."
Let me suggest two essentials in building this type of character in your child:
First, make a commitment to be involved in teaching your child character through personal
instruction. This means actively teaching the Scriptures, establishing limits in his life, affirming
right choices, and correcting him when he makes mistakes. It means continually showing him
how to treat others with the love of Christ--how to communicate, how to forgive, how to
encourage.
It also means contrasting what the world says with what the Bible teaches. Just the other day I
took the opportunity on the way to school to interact with my girls about homosexuality. We
talked about the culture we live in, and the growing public acceptance of gays. I spoke of our
need to love people but still be clear-headed about wrong choices that are a perversion of how
God made us.
Our conversation only lasted 10 minutes, but I believe I laid another stone upon the foundation
of their character.
Second, make a commitment to modeling the character traits you are teaching your child. For
you will never take your child beyond what is evident in your own life.
A seminary professor told me a story about taking his 13-year-old daughter to the state fair. As
they drove up to the entrance, he noticed a sign reading, "Free Admission to Children 12 and
Under." He whispered to his daughter, "Scoot down and look small." She did, and he avoided
paying her ticket.
A few seconds later this professor--with two seminary degrees--heard a small voice from the
back seat: "Daddy, you know I'm 13." Convicted of his sin and of his bad example, he put the car
into reverse and backed up. He apologized to the attendant and paid the full amount. That dad
learned a painful but important lesson: Our lives must model what we teach.
The six Rainey children have made their own set of errors--they've lied, they've cheated, they've
disobeyed, they've made wrong choices, and they've suffered through massive doses of sibling
rivalry. But, one by one, they are learning to stand strong.
When Rebecca was 15 years old, she withstood the temptation to join eight other friends who
slipped out of a decent movie and into an R-rated film. As she told me her story, the grin on her
face was a big payoff to Barbara and me. Her character grew.
Yes, they do get it!

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