He wants your kid to be rich in the way that he wants all of us to be rich. Not in earthly possessions, but rich towards God. So how do you develop a kid who is rich in that way?
When Jesus talked about being "rich toward God", he was telling a parable that most Bibles call "The Parable of the Rich Fool". The man doesn't seem foolish by modern standards; he seems wise. He makes plans to build bigger storehouses for his excess crops. With the surplus in storage, he'll quit working and live off the income. Life will be good! But God intervenes, delivering the dire news that the man is about to die. And then God asks to pivotal question: "Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:13-21)
Jesus concludes by saying, "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." It seems like the man's fatal flaw was that he was preoccupied with his own happiness and comfort. That in essence became his God. Note that the parable doesn't say the man actually did all of this; the plans take place in his mind. What we set our minds on directs our whole life. It dictates how we spend our time and what we consider "success". It defines for us the resting point, the point at which we say, "I've done it! I'm there! I've achieved what I've set out to do!"
With that in mind, here are some ideas on making kids rich:
1. Make God a central "thing" in your family life. Not just one thing among many things, but the central organizing reality. Is the pursuit of God and realizing his will apparent in your own life? Would your kid say that it is?
2. Learn to find satisfaction in God. Evaluate how you set goals and priorities. How do you define "a successful life" when it comes to your child? Is your goal for them that they know Him more, love Him more, serve Him more? Or that they grow up to be happy and comfortable?
3. Teach kids how to rest in God. God isn't something we rest at when we arrive there; the peace of God is a continuous rest that we carry with us along the journey. This is different from earthly rest. We work all week so we can get a break on the weekend. We study hard in school, then celebrate with a graduation party. We plan and carry out detailed weddings, then decompress on a honeymoon. The rest comes at the end of something; we earn it. God's rest isn't like that. Instead, it's the "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Raise a kid in a cauldron of performance-based standards, and it will be hard for them to imagine rest as anything but something you get after working hard. They will find the idea of God's rest, literally, un-believeable.
4. Build the support infrastructure in your kid's life that will help them become rich. Which is to say, there are supports standing behind kids, nudging them and helping them and guiding them. It doesn't happen by accident. And just like vitamins, if there's a deficiency, your kid will develop a problem. Not right away, but over time. If you want your kid to be rich toward God, remember R.I.C.H.:
- Relationships - Lots of relationships, and quality relationships. Who knows your kid? Who else besides you has a window into their personality? Who's guiding them? In this world run by grown-ups, who's affirming your kid, letting them know that although they're young and small, they still matter? You love your kid. What message are they receiving from the rest of the world about their worth in the eyes of adults?
- Identity - We want kids to understand who they are, including what it means to be a created being, wholly dependent on God. They should understand that God has gifted and designed each of us differently, and that understanding that design is key in growing into the role God has for them. Hollywood and Madison Avenue never stop trying to tell your kid who they really are (and as a result, what they should like and what they should do).
- Christ - Is your kid's faith Christ-centered? Do they understand why Jesus' life and death mattered - really mattered? Do they get that we are dependent on grace, that Jesus was more than a teacher, but the way, the truth, and the life? Most American teenagers believe in God - but what they believe about him doesn't necessarily square with the Bible or historic Christianity. A faith grounded in "God wants me to be good" doesn't cut it. Help your kid develop a deep understanding of Jesus Christ as the absolutely essential element of their Christian faith.
- Heart & Hands experience - We hope kids will connect faith to life. But let's be honest, they usually don't. Kids need tangible, hands-on experience living out Christ in the world. Is your kid aware of the world, of the needs that exist? Do their hearts hurt when they see injustice? Have they been shown the way Christians are reaching out to the poor, the elderly, the sick? Because faith without works is dead.
