Have you ever noticed what happens when someone compliments a mother or father on a child’s accomplishments? Instinctively, the parent responds proudly with “thank you.”
Although it’s probably just a polite reflex, it’s almost as if we as parents believe we are responsible for our child’s gifts. As if they wouldn’t be intelligent, athletic, musically inclined or artistic if we hadn’t given them their talents.
As stewards, we know exactly where our children’s talents originate. And, it’s not from us. It’s from God. The children may have received some of our genetic makeup, but it is God who graciously blesses our children with all of their unique abilities.
As a parent, it is our duty to teach our children where their gifts came from. They need to know that although they inherit many things from us, it is God who is solely responsible for giving them their many talents.
In addition to teaching our children where their talents come from, it’s also our responsibility to teach our children the importance of utilizing those talents to the best of their ability and not letting them go to waste.
Teaching our kids these two important lessons from an early age — that God granted their talents and expects them to use them to the best of their ability — is an essential foundation for our children’s stewardship education.
