12 Before Your 12 - Part 2

You are a product of the God you serve,

the friends you keep,

the tv/movies you watch,

the books you read,

and the music you listen to.

This was the theme of our third month in "twelve before you're twelve". This is a time that Bryce and I take once a month. We spend time just the two of us and I share pieces of wisdom based on God's word. I think this is a very important age. She will be entering her pre-adult years and there will be many temptations. I hope to plant some seeds of truth that will carry her through.

Our discussion that month was on friendships. I know that as a parent we cannot choose their friends for them, but I believe we can encourage them to be leaders whose friends do not influence their convictions. That is what it all comes down to, their convictions. She has reached the age where our rules should become her rules. This builds off of the first part where we talked about the Prov. 31 woman. Once a decision has been made to follow God's example, then you naturally begin to establish your own convictions. The more time she spends in His word, the more her heart will be drawn to the things He wants in her life. She will be drawn to those who encourage her walk with the Lord and are building their own character.

I used the word picture of bumper guards to explain convictions to B. Like in bowling, when the bumper guards are up, if the ball sways to the side it will not fall into the gutter. Instead the ball will bounce back over and continue down the path to its goal. Our convictions should be there to keep us from falling into the "gutter" and push us back over to our intended goal.

Do you have young ones in your life? What are you doing to encourage them to follow God's plan for their life? His plan is not in the future, it is in the now! Take time to encourage them to have their own convictions based on His word.