Encouragement for Parents: Your Influence Matters
Raising Children to Thrive
No one has more power to shape your child's heart and mind than you. Your influence matters!
Parenting is an extraordinary journey filled with countless moments of joy, challenges, and opportunities for growth. It's easy to get overwhelmed, and sometimes, we forget just how significant our role is in shaping our children’s future. Be encouraged that the Lord has uniquely equipped you to help your children thrive!
Your influence as a parent is one of the most powerful forces in your child's life. Embracing this influence can profoundly impact your child's spiritual, emotional, and physical development. You can also profoundly impact their values around human sexuality and personal safety.
News headlines can be disheartening, primarily when they focus on negative aspects of parenting or highlight the challenges and pressures children face. Childhood anxiety, academic struggles, or societal issues can leave you feeling overwhelmed or like your impact is constantly overshadowed. Discouragement and resistance can even come from your child.
However, your children are not bound to be victims of this age. Your steady guidance and unconditional love make all the difference. The Lord has entrusted your children to you; their attitude is not the barometer of the impact that your voice is making. Trust that, in Christ, they have everything they need not only to survive but thrive. God's grace is sufficient for them and you (2 Corinthians 12:9). We can trust His Spirit to guide their hearts. What is impossible for us is possible with God!
You may not be able to change societal trends. Still, you can influence your child’s environment, provide support, and equip them with the tools to handle challenges, especially concerning body safety. For every discouraging headline, there are countless stories of parents making a significant difference in their children’s lives, overcoming challenges, and building strong, resilient families. He who called you is faithful and will equip you for every good work (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
By providing love, security, positive modeling, encouragement, and, most importantly, prayer, you can have a lasting positive impact on your child's life. You can help your child become the best version of themselves. You have more power than any attack that comes against your children. You have more influence than any friend group or social media app. Your voice matters. Your presence matters. Your prayers matter! Be encouraged, parents. The Lord is on your side and ready to equip you with the power of the Holy Spirit!
Trees of Hope provides resources to help parents teach their children about body safety. The resource store offers information on sexual abuse prevention and body safety education for all ages, from infants to teens. The Facts of Life series also offers age-appropriate sex education materials for parents.
Trees of Hope also offers an online prevention workshop for parents, caregivers, teachers, or anyone seeking to learn about sexual abuse prevention and how to better safeguard their loved ones. The workshop costs $15 and includes a physical copy of Rise Magazine.
Find out more about Trees of Hope’s Prevention Education programs for parents.
