I believe work is a gift from God. Man worked in the Garden before the Fall, and I believe we’ll work in Heaven, so it’s good to have a right perspective on work.
I’ve been thinking about my role as a business woman and the ways it has walked hand in hand with my goals for training my children over the years. I am blessed to be able to engage in work I'm passionate about and teach my kids about God's view of work as I engage in it.
In the early days of Sonlight, the kids' work was to listen to a wide variety of books that we read together. They were my guinea pigs for Sonlight books. If a book didn’t hold their attention and make them beg for more, it was out!
Over time, all my children gained business sense as we discussed how to make a business profitable, invest wisely, give strategically, honor our customers, and conduct an ethical business. They gained an appreciation for hard work and organization as they helped pick, pack, and ship orders in busy summers, and they’ve developed leadership and responsibility by taking ownership in Sonlight’s mission.
I am thrilled they have been able to join in this work even into their adult years! These days, they all play important roles in the Sonlight community and I’m so thankful to see them use the gifts God has given them for His glory.
What about you? How do you teach your children responsibility and leadership at home? How do you weave academic subjects as well as life skills into your homeschool and train your children to work?
1 comments:
Thank you, Sarita, for the encouraging article. I have always strived to teach my children to love work and serve others. However, I noticed about a year ago that unless my attitude towards work, including simple tasks around home, was a healthy one, they would never love work. What a lesson God had to teach me!
I have never had the opportunities to allow my children to work except doing home chores. Now that may all change. I, being newly widowed, have been exploring options of going into a home-based business while still homeschooling. You have so clearly shown me that it can be done.
I do plan to incorporate my children in all stages of the business from it's conception to its everyday work load. I have had a few conversations with my oldest son who already wants to be the "handy man" around the business. I can see God's handiwork already beginning to shape his desire to work and serve others.
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