Mike Smith:
Jeff, you’ve said that one part of teaching our children to become culture-shaping leaders is to help them understand their own God-given identity. Could you explain further, why this is so important?
Jeff Myers:
Mike, it’s important that our kids learn to shape the culture rather than be shaped by it. If the culture shapes you, it’ll tell you that the most important thing in life is becoming wealthy and famous. So it’s pretty natural for kids to want to pursue jobs they think will help them reach those goals, but they always end up frustrated because they end up doing jobs that not only don’t reach those goals, but don’t tap into their God-given gifts. Now, I don’t think we as adults help this when we hand out career tests either, as is my personal opinion. My career test, when I was a weak, skinny, high school kid said that I should be a lumberjack. But I think parents are a lot better off, if they focus on developing good character in their kids. Truthfulness, a spirit of honor, a servant’s heart, and then paying attention to what a child naturally does. What motivates them? What do they pay attention to? How do they do what they do? Do they like working with tools, or people, or with ideas? I also encourage parents to let their kids try a lot of things. Start a business, get a summer job, do an internship. Because the goal is for a young person to find something that can not only be a means of provision for them, but can also return energy to them and make them feel more alive. Now that’s the idea of vocation, a calling, not just a job. I think that’s what we should encourage our kids to do.
Mike:
Well, thank you Jeff. That’s a very encouraging perspective. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
