Note to Self: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man” Luke 2:52 Part II

Written by Vicki Hoodikoff

For a season my husband and I would pray this verse as a prayer over our children before bed each night.  We felt it was important for their well being.  This verse personally gave me a better understanding of how they were to develop.  We both wanted to see them mature mentally, physically, spiritually and socially.  

Many times I have had to remind myself that this is the way Jesus matured and this ought to be the goal for my kids too.  So, what does it mean to raise a child in wisdom, stature, favor with God and man?  I think the key is simple; a balanced growth.   Often I place too much emphasis on one area of their life.  Just the other day I caught myself panicking about how well my children are learning in our home school system.  We live abroad in a non-english speaking country and resources are challenging.  Sad, but true, usually when mom panics, they feel the pressure of my anxiety. Immediately, I interrupted that spiraling thought with another “Note to Self”: Jesus grew in all areas of life simultaneously.  This, for me, is like an invisible check list: How are they progressing in their studies, in their physical growth, in their personal relationship with God and in their relationships with others?  Evaluating these areas of their life help me keep the small details in perspective and  eliminate unnecessary anxiety that they are not maturing as they should.

As parents we have the amazing privilege to watch our children blossom into well rounded adults.  This should be the goal of childhood.  Yet, this can only happen if we are conscious of raising them with a goal of becoming balanced adults  Often I think, we as parents, become too concerned with only one aspect when we really ought to be focused on all four aspects simultaneously.  We are still in the process, ourselves,  but we are greatly encouraged to see that they are developing well in all these areas of life.