If you’ve just recently discovered our ministry, welcome to Focus on the Family.
As our longtime friends will agree, if you explore our websites, read our magazines, or listen to our radio programs, you’ll find a wealth of practical, everyday advice for parents – things like strategies for effective discipline and tips for helping kids thrive with their siblings or at school.
But there may be no more important wisdom we share with parents than the kind of topic we’ll be talking about on our broadcast today.
Dr. John Trent will be in our studios to help parents understand how they can pass along a blessing to their son or daughter.
A parent’s blessing is crucial to a child’s well-being. Knowing their parents love them deeply and unconditionally is at the root of a child’s ability to experience life in a meaningful way and, ultimately, to discover God’s love.
The concept of “the blessing” originates from Deuteronomy 30:19, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (ESV).
Therein lies the choice every parent must make with their kids: Blessing or curse.
Dr. Trent shares five components for passing along a blessing to your children. Think of the letters to the acronym B-L-E-S-S.
B is for “Be committed.” Let your kids know you’ll always be there for them no matter what.
L is for “Loving touch.” Before a child is capable of learning they’re valuable through the words a parent speaks, they learn it through a parent’s appropriate touch.
E is for “Express high value.” Kids often wonder, “Do I matter?” Passing a blessing to your children assures them that they do.
S is for “Say blessings verbally.” Spoken blessings are powerful. Tell them how much you love them and how valuable they are to you.
The last S is for “See their potential.” When children are growing up and they’re filled with uncertainty as they seek to discover who God has made them to be, they need their mom and dad to reassure them that God loves them and has a vision for their lives.
Portraying the opposite of a blessing as “a curse” may seem extreme but, trust me, that concept doesn’t seem so far-fetched to those of us who never got a blessing from our parents (or, in my case, from my dad). I know adults now in their 30s, 40s, or even well into their 70s who would crawl over broken glass to get a blessing from their parents.
Keep that in mind if you’re a parent with children who are now adults. You may feel like you’ve missed your opportunity to bless your children, but it’s never too late.
We’ll fully unpack the concept of blessing your children and offer practical ideas for how to do it on today’s program.
Dr. Trent is a well-known author and speaker and the president of StrongFamilies.com. He’s written over 20 books and has been on our program a couple dozen times over the years. We welcome him back, and we hope you’ll join us as well, on your local radio station, online, or via our free, downloadable mobile phone app.
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