A well known television talk show host made the comment “One thing I have learned about people in all of my years of interviews is that everyone longs to feel significant.”
If you have spent any time at all with kids you have probably noticed each child aches for attention.
There’s the “class clown” who will do anything for a laugh, the “trouble maker” who will break the rules for negative attention of the teacher-and the respect of his peers as the “rebel of the group”. And somewhere in between the funny guy and the bad boy lie a multitude of children looking for affirmation.
Why do you suppose there is such a deep longing to feel significant in the heart of every person? I’ll tell you why…
When God created Adam and Eve, He did not just throw them into a Utopian garden of Eden and watch them from afar…No, the Bible shows us a Creator who was intimately involved with His creation. So much so, that when God made Adam, He observed, “It is not good for man to be alone,” so He gave Adam a wife-Eve. Adam was so happy he proclaimed, “Wo-Man”! (Sorry I couldn’t resist.)
The Bible also gives us a glimpse into the kind of fellowship God enjoyed with Adam and Eve as He daily walked and talked with them in the evening.
Adam and Eve-as well as you and I-were created to fellowship with God. Their worth, their purpose, and significance would have been satisfied in their intimate walk with their Creator.
Sadly, this divine intimacy was lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. From that fateful day on, all mankind has been born in sin. “For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And in their sinful state, people do not understand they were created to find their worth in a relationship with God.
Because God created people to worship, they are driven to discover a passion worthy of their devotion. As they look for satisfaction in relationships, accomplishments, possessions, etc, they cannot satisfy the God-given heart cry for a relationship with Him.
Understanding the reason your kids ache to feel accepted can help you direct them to the only One who can truly make your child feel significant.
“But HOW do I teach this to my kids,” you ask?*
The best way to teach your kids how to find their worth in a relationship with Christ is for them to see it lived out in your life. This means YOU have to know God intimately through a relationship with His Son, and then you must deliberately pursue intimacy with Him daily through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other Believers.
As you spend time in the Word, you will be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). Truth from the Bible will help you understand how much God values you.
If your children see you finding your significance in your relationship with The Lord, your confidence can create in them an appetite to find their worth to Christ as well.
When your child discovers their significance is found in Christ alone, they can withstand peer pressure, fathers who let them down, and life’s disappointments, because they know they are treasured by the One who made them, just so He could love them.
*For more insights on how to help your son find his worth, read Rhonda’s book, MOMS RAISING SONS TO BE MEN
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