Hey Kids, Be A Leader | I Timothy 4:12

Andrea here today to share an entry I did for my oldest son. As always, I did a process video for you to see how I got from a blank page to the finished product:

I think we can all agree that being a kid isn’t easy. I mean, besides having considerably less responsibilities and worries than their parents, teenagers have to learn how to navigate through all the obstacles of their environment in order to make it free and clear into adulthood. It’s a tough business. Especially these days with information at their fingertips and the world knocking at their innocent doors.

A very dear friend of my parents, and the mother-in-law of a friend of mine, once told me that she and her husband would consistently pray for their only son’s future wife. For years they prayed for her faithfulness and her patience and her spirit. WOW. For the last decade or so, that statement has flown through my heart on many occasions. I always wondered how I could begin to pray specifically for my boys and their futures.

Since being lead into illustrating my faith, God has given me a greater desire for this task. My time with them is fleeting and I feel like I have to pray quick and often before they begin to leave the safety of our nest. I decided to ask her for some verse recommendations on the subject.

One of the topics was in 1 Timothy and it was very relevant to a recent experience I had with my oldest son – who is 14 – where he volunteered with adult leaders in his youth group and I recalled several other times when he has stood against peer pressure or was praised by adults about his maturity. Book 4, verse 12 says: Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

This is the ultimate goal I have for my children. Set an example by how you speak, how you love and how you treat others. My prayer is that these characteristics will keep them from bad choices, bad people and the wrong path – and will lead to all the other wonderful things God has planned.

He still has so much to get through before he’s ready to fly – no doubt – but to be 14 and already heading down the path God has paved for him makes my heart sing.

I enjoyed doing this entry in my bible so much that I plan to make a list for each boy with different strengths I want to encourage, weaknesses I want to strengthen and specific parts of their futures I hope to see fulfilled as they grow.

I hope you join me in praying for the youth in our lives.

Happy crafting,
Andrea

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