Who We Are

 

Here's what Intentional Parenting from Daniel Webster's 1828 Dictionary looks like:

Intentional: Intended; designed; done with design or purpose. The act was intentional, not accidental. Inten'tionally, adv. By design; of purpose; not casually.

Pa'rent, n. [L. parens, from pario, to produce or bring forth... ] 1. A father or mother; he or she that produces young. The duties of parents to their children are to maintain, protect and educate them.

Our duty is to educate our children with design and purpose. What is our greatest design but to train them up in and for the Lord? We must intentionally design an education for them with such a purpose. We must make it our intention to train them to follow God's ways; to teach them to follow His commands; to instruct them in righteousness and holiness. If we take a casual, unplanned approach, our children just may wander off on their own path as adults, whether or not they walked on your path as children. We must continue to not only walk the walk, but talk the talk, on purpose and with intention. We find several antonyms to the word "intentiona,l" they are: accidental, unplanned, casual, without purpose or design. It doesn't sound like anything fruitful would come out of this approach. It's not just the idea that I should stop and take that teachable moment, but that I should stop and make that teachable moment. I am learning to become more intentional.

Just today, I wanted to share something with one of my sons. I held his hands and looked straight in his eyes and said, "God has excused us our sin just like you are excused from the table. All we have to do is ask Him and then He pardons us and frees us! Just say to the Lord, 'May I please be excused?' and He will excuse you if you just ask;and then you will be free!" With purpose in my voice and tears in my eyes, I made my point to my son. I was intentional in what I wanted to convey to Him. I didn't wait for a good time. I didn't wait for him to ask the question. I said it on purpose, today. There may not be a tomorrow for any one of our children. We need to take today by the horns and be in God's eyes like Abraham was. God KNEW that Abraham would teach his children: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD." (Genesis 18:19) I want God to know that of me, too, don't you?

Don't let today get away without doing something you've intended to do, and everything that God intends you to do.

~Deborah