Train, Pack, and Ready!

I was first introduced to this verse as it hung in my grandparent’s kitchen, painted on a paddle. Parents, you know what I am referring to. As a result, I feared this verse as a child and tried my best to behave. Throughout my teen years and early adulthood, I mocked that paddle and verse. Like most teenagers, I had no fear. I never really knew the true meaning of this verse, until I had teenagers of my own. Teaching, leading, and mentoring our children is not easy. It is never-ending, hard, and exhausting. But we must train our children as best as we can while we still have the chance, giving them an opportunity to be successful, independent, and self-sufficient.

Parents, if you have not started training your young adult, please start now. Teach them to do the laundry, teach them to cook a few basic meals, teach them how to handle their own finances, teach them to make their own doctors’ appointments, and teach them to be an advocate for themselves. Teach them to have difficult conversations. Teach them when relationships are not healthy and how to disengage. This is not a promise that teaching these skills and many more will produce thriving adults, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. We also need to teach our children biblical truths and facts to nurture their faith as they grow. By increasing their biblical knowledge, they will come to understand that all steps point to our Lord and Savior’s love for us, and that He desires they have a relationship with Him.

Are you currently thinking, “Ugh, I could have done a better job in this area?” Don’t beat yourself up! As parents, we do the very best that we can at the time. We are not perfect, and our Lord and Savior knows this.

Here is the good news! At Liberty University, we believe that teaching sound biblical truths is so very important that each incoming student is required to take courses such as BIBL101 and 105, Old and New Testaments. These courses are designed to expand students’ knowledge and lay the groundwork for a strong foundation with Jesus and His Father. Residential students are also required to attend Convocation twice a week, where they can worship and learn from strong leaders from across the world. These two requirements will help lay the groundwork for a strong relationship with our Lord.

Our prayer is that with each moment your student does life on this beautiful campus, their biblical knowledge and relationship with Jesus will mold them into the young adult you continue to pray for.

Mathew 7:24-25 states “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”