Career: Helping Teens Discover Their God Given Callings. (Part 2)

By Raven

My son was not raised in a church building, as I had hoped for. Life happened. To make a long story short (I will save *that story for another day), he has been getting raised with Apostolic Christian values and faith, at home, from the time he began to walk. Home church is not a permanent decision, but for now, it is what we have and what I have, to work with. As much as I can, I have Bible studies and biblical discussions with my child. His favorite story in the Bible is Noah's Arc, while my favorite book to read from, with him, is the book of Proverbs. A book full of how to's, what to avoid, who to avoid, gaining wisdom and knowledge, how to live, and most importantly, the meaning and reason for having, the fear of the Lord, above all things.

It is important for every soul to know their ministry before they ever know their career calling. A lot of times, one's ministry is where their career lies. If it is helping people (Ministry of helps, Missionary field), perhaps you'd go into the healthcare field or social service field. If it is selling, convincing, persuading, engaging, (Evangelism, Preaching) you may be excellent at marketing. If you love teaching Sunday school, Bible studies, being a learner a reader, you may go into teaching. If you love building with your hands, creating, building the church, admonishing; you may be excellent at carpentry, engineering, electrical work, home building, etc. If you love feeding people, being in the kitchen making food and baking, (Outreach, In-reach, Missionary work) you may be excellent in Human & Social Services, a Baker, a Chef. If you are like Dorcas, and love creating and making things for others, taking charity; there is an array of creative and artistic careers to get into. Including those above. There are so many branches and exciting directions to go, that, it would take more than a few blogs to cover them all! It is up to each and every one of us, to discover what God has planned for us, as individuals.

::Narrowing in on their interests::

I understand that there are filler interests; the programs that are provided for them at school, that they have an interest in while there, but may not pursue those interests upon graduation. Then there are those at-home interests. Now, that is where you will see them in their comfort, if you give them the space and patience, to explore at home. Not saying that, the programs at school have no value. In fact, what they learn from an educational stand-point, will only add to those interests that they do on their own, a part from a group and a brick and mortar building. Not to mention, many of those programs have scholarships attached to them. Howbeit, when they are at home, they have access to their own personal space, thought processes, their own personalities, characters, etc. Exploration is vast, more free, and not as controlled as it is in a traditional educational setting. Home, ought to be the place where their interests receive the most attention. What do they do the most, during their personal free time, at home? I know. SLEEP AND EAT! Teenagers!!! When they are not hibernating like bears, what do they love doing? What do they passionately talk about? This takes work on the parental end, to be involved as often as we can.

::Having access to creativity::

Do they have access to sketch paper, art supplies, writing tools, books to read (and what kind?), diverse languages and cultures, craft supplies, instruments, even internet access? Not every child is going to simply come right out and say what they love, the hobbies they have, or what they want to do with their lives. For one, they may not even know yet. Secondly, they may be embarrassed to say it out loud. Thirdly, they may not be the sharing type, that outright speak about their interests and are more to themselves and reserved. Kids come in all types of different packages. So, as parents, we have to set up bait. Leave things at home, out for them, to get into. If they are younger, with supervision. Older, supervised internet access. Eventually, when they have options and access, they are going to lean towards one thing the most. From there, you pay attention to what you need to keep supplying for them to help them grow in those interests, and open up doors for greater access, based on what you now know they have a passion for.

::Our kids are not our twins::

Our children may look like us all day long, but they are not us. What dreams we have for ourselves, our kids are not obligated to fulfill in their own lives. Read that again. That expectation that many parents have for their offspring, is one of the most stressful realities that kids find themselves, struggling to live up to, some, even into adulthood. That is the cause for many strained relationships between older adult children and their parents. As parents, we have to keep open-minds concerning their personal dreams and goals. We are here to guide them in the safest and right direction, as much as we can, but not try to turn them into ourselves. This is not the same thing as sharing our own personal interests and callings with our children....they should be exposed to how God works in our lives through our own gifts, talents, interests and hobbies. This way, they can see first-hand how we trust in God, and how doing what He placed in us to do, gives us ultimate joy that surpasses all understanding. That joy from the Lord is attractive and that is the part of us that they need to inherit. That is one of those golden nuggets along their own personal paths to and of salvation.

::Write the vision::

There comes a point in a child's life, where they actually do need to sit down, and think maturely about their futures. It does not mean things cannot change. Life does happen, and we have to make room for that. However, they should be able to sit down and make a list of where they want to be months from where they are, a year, 2 years, 4, years, so on and so forth. When they have concrete ideas, and have clearly and literally written them down, then a plan needs to be established on how they will get from point A to point B. Will they need extra education....college, vocational or trade? Will they need certain lessons? Will they need to relocate? How much money do they need to save? The purpose in writing our visions down, is because when something is written down to read repeatedly, we are more encouraged to execute what we can see and feel. They do not have to be writers to be strategic in their writing and goal reaching.

::Prayer and fasting::

This is hard for a lot of adults to do. God knows this, but He also knows it is sacrificial and necessary for us to make prayer and fasting a part of our lives. Pushing away the plate, to attain answers that only Jesus Christ can give, is what every human needs. Every child needs to learn this part of faith, that connects us directly to Christ. There are some answers and solutions that will not come, but by prayer and fasting. Sometimes, we just do not know what to do in life. We hit rock bottom and become overwhelmed and warn out. This is the point where, if people do not know any better, including our kids, they begin to lose hope. Teens need to have a solid understanding that, we cannot figure life out, nor ourselves, on our own. Both, are too complex. We need God. We need His guidance and His answers. Otherwise, we become stuck, unable to move in any direction. When our teens know that prayer and fasting is their direct communication with Jesus, they will learn that He is all knowing, all powerful, and will give them the answers that they need concerning their lives, more than any parent ever could.

(Habakkuk 2:2-3)

2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.