Raising Godly Sons

Once again it is Monday, time for a meeting at the Well. Today, Lori at All You Have to Give is hosting the conversation and the topic of discussion is "Raising Godly Sons." Titus 2:6 says, "In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely in all they do."

Honestly thoughts of Titus 2 quickly bring to mind the idea of women training women, so it's a wonderful reminder to think about the influence our example has on men as well, our sons in particular.

As I read the questions Lori posed, I was more excited to read the answers than share some of my own. As a girl who grew up with 2 sisters and primarily babysat girls, my knowledge and experience with boys was limited as a child. So needless to say the birth of our son five years ago also marked the start of a real learning experience...

We hear people say boys and girls are different and now with 2 daughters of my own, I see that lived out daily. Though the sexes are very, very different I believe the foundation for raising Godly children is similar...

Like some of the ladies have mentioned there is insurmountable power in prayer. I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "The only thing I can do is pray." I believe it's not the only thing, it's the best thing. My son is growing and changing and even the other day I said to a friend, "I wonder what things will be like when he's a teenager?" Honestly sometimes I don't just wonder, I worry!! That's where prayer comes in - though he's just weeks away from his first day of school, we are already praying about his first date, his first big game, his first job, everything. We are trying to put it all in God's hands now - as the saying goes it's better to be proactive than reactive.

As we do this, we don't just pray as a couple or me by myself, but include J.D. in our times of prayer as well. I guess part of the training involves letting your child see you walk the walk - our prayer is they will see how important this is to us and want it for themselves. Another prayer - they will make their faith their own.

Another area I feel is critical to establish in the younger years is communication. Trust me I know conversation with a 5 year old isn't always the type of conversing we are looking for, but we can't expect our child to just come talk to us when they are ready to have a deep conversation in their teenage years. Just like our friendships, our relationships with our children are built over time. Even though J.D. is only 5 we have had some wonderful talks, especially at bed time when life slows down and I make myself available. These times not only build relationships, but they are a wonderful opportunity to plant seeds that I pray will grow into truths that carry him thru life.

Finally for me, the third critical element in raising Godly sons comes back to Titus 2. Women who are a step ahead of me in raising Godly sons have been a huge source of encouragement and wisdom. They have walked the walk and their willingness to share from the good and bad have given me insight. Their words remind that it's never easy, but we grow thru the pain; though mistakes are made, children are forgiving and tomorrow is a new day; and raising Godly children is the biggest assignment God has given us, but He doesn't intend for us to go alone - He is there to help!

So as we enter a new stage of our son's life, prayer will be constant, communication critical and wisdom from my mentors craved.