Faith Filled Family Magazine July 2016 | Page 18

Gifts & Talents How to Guide Your A Children IntoTheir Calling s a rule of thumb, the parent-child relationship is the most unique of all relationships God-given and designed. God is a God of intimacy and connection yet we find that in the parent-child relationship, increasing autonomy and separation is part of the divine design. By Remaliah Evans In an article featured in January 2016 Charisma Magazine, Pastor John Nielson of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois wrote, “The common thread that binds together almost every ministry-minded 20-something that I know is abundantly clear: a home where the gospel was not peripheral but absolutely central.” He was speaking from years of experience with the millennial generation but the message for all parents is clear: we teach what we know but we reproduce who we are. So how do we, as parents, raise and guide our children in their awareness of the call of God on their lives? 1 Go after the call of God on your life. What parents place as priority will be duplicated in their children’s affections. From the beginning, include your child in the things of God. Let them