KLove is a cross-country Christian radio station that I can pick up almost anywhere I travel. So, as I hit the seek button, I catch just little tidbits of conversations or songs. One I heard this past week led me to look up this girl’s ministry and has me thinking a lot about parenting. I know, I’m not a parent, may never be a parent, but…I do work with parents, write for children and youth, and can have an influence on the kids I do work with.
Kelly Chapman has an extensive ministry on this very idea. She has written two books about being a Prince and a Princess.
While I have not read these book, the Christian world has also bought into the idea that we need to raise our daughters as princesses and our sons as princes. Technically, we are. We are joint heirs with Christ, a son and daughter of the Most High King. The videos I have seen from Kelly’s ministry has purposed to show little girls (ages 4-8) what it means to reflect Christ and His attitudes and heart and passion. Unfortunately, most of the world thinks differently when they allow their little girls to wear princess shirts and have crowns. I think back to the Bachelor contestant who always wore crowns. This is more what our world models. But, while the mainstream Christian world does mention that, I think most miss the mark for what a real prince and princess should be like. I want to take a look at one passage and how it correlates to princesses/princes.
1. Jesus, Prince of Princes, counted others better than Himself. He left Heaven and came to serve (The Son of Man came to serve, not to be served). I don’t know of any Princesses who serve. They are waited on hand and foot, have servants who are always at their beck and call. We instill this in our kids too. That others are there to serve them – not the other way around. How can you raise a son/daughter who has a heart of serving others and true humility? Get them in the action. Give them opportunities to serve their family members once a week. Have them help out at church functions as they get a little older. Help them to serve the older generation by baking cookies or raking leaves for folks in your neighborhood. Instill now. It doesn’t get easier.
2. Jesus died on a cross. We raise our children and youth today to think that suffering will never come to them. We have every comfort in America. Most of us want for nothing. That is how I was raised. But, how can we invest in our children by showing them that they will suffer in this world. They will have hardships. Is it by not caving to their every whim? I don’t know. But, I do know this. Christ suffered. Christ also said as Christians we would have hardship. Let your kids participate on mission trips (city, state, international) with people who are less fortunate than they are. They will see suffering. Let them take the gospel to orpahn kids in Uganda who live on the street. Let them see these kids living on the street, then have the luxury of going back to a hotel each night because its not safe or wise to sleep on the street with them. The Gospel of Jesus is bigger than this suffering.
3. God exalted Christ. Christ didn’t exalt himself. Christ lived a humble life – even the prophets declared that nothing was in Him that we would be attracted to Him. John says early in his gospel that he should decrease so that Christ may increase. We instill pride in our kids. We want them to be the best at everything they do, we want them to win the MVP awards and be brought up on stage to receive accolades. We want them to have many friends, we want them to be high achievers in all things. But, the Bible tells us that humility is the way we should seek and press in to. Humility is a foreign concept these days. Especially in many who parents. How do you instill humility in your kids? By teaching them the Word, the life of Christ, and implimenting #1-2 above.
What other ideas do you have of making your sons and daughters be more prince and princess like in their character?
