Luke 1:80
“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.”
Developing strong children to serve the LORD and face the adversities of the world should be every parents desire. Training children is not something that we do just to get them out of our hair until they turn eighteen, but our responsibility is to make sure they can face life properly. If we develop strong children, then they will go on to live productive lives and serve the LORD.
Joseph and Mary did a good job in developing Jesus to be strong. It says that Jesus “waxed strong.” Yes, He was the Son of God, but Joseph and Mary had a big part in making sure that He was a well-balanced child. They put Him in circumstances that helped him become a strong individual who could face every circumstance in life. Let me show you some of the things Joseph and Mary did that can help to develop strong children.
First, they made sure the child grew. I know this sounds strange, but parents need to be sure their children are growing in every area. Don’t be aloof in parenting, but be sure your children are developing. You must make sure that you are doing what you can to make sure they grow so that they can face life. You will not develop strong children by allowing the television or daycare to rear your children. You have to be there with them if you are going to develop strong children. Children should not be an inconvenience to your schedule and life, but they should be a blessing that God gave you to help greater influence a world for Christ.
Second, they allowed their child time to grow. The word “waxed” means to increase or enlarge. In other words, they knew that it takes time to grow. You will not develop strong children if you are impatient with them. You must learn to be patient as they grow. Allow them to make mistakes, and take those mistakes and use them for teaching moments to grow them into a stronger individual.
Third, they made sure they developed His spirit. The spirit of a child is important. You must make sure that your child has a good spirit. The only way they will learn this is if you have a good spirit. Your spirit should be strong enough that you don’t fall to pieces every time you face adversity. They need to see that you can still have a good attitude and be calm when adversity arises. Your children don’t just need to know the right and wrongs of life, but they also need to develop a strong spirit that is on top side and in control in all circumstances.
Fourth, they made sure they developed a child who could face difficult circumstances. You will notice that Jesus was in the deserts until He stepped into the ministry. Parents must be careful about giving their children every thing they want. Children need to develop a toughness about them that they can face the hardest circumstances of life and make it. Don’t do everything for your child, but make them figure things out. Let them learn that you are not always going to be there and that they need to learn to face tough circumstances and figure a way out of them.
Developing a strong child is no easy task. These four areas are only a small portion of developing strong children, but they are a good start. I encourage you to make it your goal as a parent to make sure you develop strong children who can face life’s hardest circumstances and come through them pleasing God.