by Kimberly Sowell
My 6-year-old son gives me regular reports on the signs of his budding manhood; he’s sure he’ll be 
growing a moustache any day now. I’m not sure why, but even the peach fuzz on his back is a source of manly pride for him. (I’ll let him enjoy the hairy back concept for now, but we’ve probably got some waxing strips in our future.)
My oldest child is growing taller and her features are maturing every day. I cherish every little freckle on her button nose, because each dot somehow reassures me that we still have some quality time together. But there’s no doubt, her childhood is slipping away before my very eyes.
And my youngest, my baby boy, is almost ready for kindergarten. All the signs are there, from his ability to color in the lines to his mastery of the pronunciation of spaghetti. I dread the day that I gaze down at his hands and his fingers are no longer chubby.
The swift passing of time motivates every mother to take advantage of each opportunity to impact her child for the Lord. The temptation is to focus our energies on fab birthday parties, fun-filled family vacations, and to-die-for childhood bedroom suites, but these are only the contents of fleeting memories that will one day fade into a pleasant yet blurry haze of childhood moments.
What can we give our children that will stick with them for life? What are the best investments of time and resources we can pour into our family? Our children will have difficult days ahead, days that bring them no pleasure (Ecclesiastes 12:1), and at these soul-searching junctures of life, the memories of pony rides and expensive toys won’t flood the dark spaces of their lives with God’s light. What our children need most is soul shaping.
God is the One in the soul-shaping business, but He uses moms and dads as His instruments of development in the life of each precious child. Parenting is a calling, and the workload is vast and deep for those who want to shape children’s hearts to look beyond themselves. After all, the nature of a child is to see the world in me-focused fashion, and none of us have to look very far to see that many a child transitioned into adulthood and never outgrew that me-focus that pervades our culture.
Soul shaping under God’s authority trains a child to look at his world first to see where God is at work, and then to follow God’s lead to impact the world around him for God’s glory.
Look into the future of humanity. Are you hopeful or discouraged? You have a role to play in how the future unfolds for the next generation, and the future begins now. Moms and dads, are you ready? Let’s guide our children to be the hands and feet of Christ today—even while their hands have chubby fingers and their feet are clad with high-top sneakers—and they will be the mighty men and women of God tomorrow.
Kimberly Sowell is founder and president of Kingdom Heart Ministries, dedicated to inspiring women to make their relationship with Jesus Christ the center of who they are and how they live each moment—growing in Christ and sharing their faith with the world. She and her husband, Kevin, along with their children, make their home in Lancaster, South Carolina. Contact Kimberly at ksowell@comporium.net; www.kimberlysowell.com.
