Last week I shared the 1^st of 5 great things we can do as parents for our kids in 2013.  You can read about that here.

The 2^nd Great Thing you can do for your child requires a little imagination. 

As a mom, imagination is not a challenge for me.  I tell my kids all the time, I have a very active imagination.  It’s staggering the things I can imagine during the 5 minute interlude between the time my child was supposed to arrive home and the time they actually arrive home. 

However… that’s not the kind of Imagining I’m talking about. 

No, the kind of Imagining I encourage today is one that peeks into the distant future of your child and considers what you hope to see. 

Imagine the Finish Line

I’ve been a recreational runner since college.  I’ve enjoyed competing in a few races over the years and one critical tactic I learned in running is to imagine myself crossing the finish line.  Imagine my pace, my measured breathing, my strong form and enough energy to push beyond the tape. 

Imagining the end of the race helps a runner to:

• move in the right direction
• get beyond the fatigue & discomforts of running
• focus on the end goal; and not just the individual mile markers

It isn’t just for runners!

When you stop and think about it.  This same tactic can serve us as parents. 

The common phrase we hear attached to this daily endeavor is “raising kids”.   But our goal (if we’re honest) is to raise adults.  And we can all agree… this is a marathon, not a sprint.  So investing time in the discipline of imagination can help us as we lead our kids into adulthood.  We call this…

Imagine the End

Imagine the End is the discipline of focusing on the things that matter most in your child’s life. 

Though the busyness of life would lead us to believe that a well-rounded child is our parenting goal, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

You are the light of the world…

According to Matthew 5:14 your child exists to be a light to the world.  A light that others can see and praise God, in heaven. 

So when it comes down to the goal of parenting…

We want to Imagine the End by envisioning our sons and daughters as young adults, as parents, as grandparents… and imagine how they will reflect Jesus to the world around them.

We want to Imagine the End by considering the character traits of our Heavenly Father that are evident in their lives.

We want to Imagine the End by asking God for discernment regarding the right focus today in order to enjoy the best outcome tomorrow.

Just like a runner that envisions the moment they cross the finish line, Imagine the End is an exercise that can help move us in the right direction, get us through the pain & discomfort of parenting and focus on the end goal.