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Children
How far can our youth go in life? What is the limits of their potential? There are certain unalterable truths about young people that seem immutable. How far children go as adults is directly related to their experiences as youth. What children see, hear and experience in their youth weighs heavy upon the productivity of their lives as adults. What adults do to children, say about children, and do for children, will affect them the rest of their lives. Dorothy Knolte made this important observation. Children learn what they observe.
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn and be judgmental.
If children live with hostility, they learn to be angry and fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy and withdrawn.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world. It is obvious, therefore, that we can shape the future of every child by surrounding them with love, home, attention, and expectations. Dan Pursuit mused that to a great extent, most youth were a sign that reads, I want to be important NOW. Many of our juvenile delinquency problems arise because nobody reads the sign. What does God have in store for the child whose life has been placed in his hands? We don't know exactly, but we know what it means to be in God's hands. It means that God gently guides us to realize our fullest potential, if we will allow him to do so. As believers, we don't know what the future holds for children, but we know that children who allow God to use their lives can do great things. That's why we place our lives and the lives of our children in his trust and care.