The End In Mind

One of the Family Ministry Values that guides Faith Promise as we lead and minister to families all over East Tennessee is “Imagine The End.”  This is a crucial concept for anyone who sets out to run a race, save for retirement or graduate college, and it is a vital aspect to setting priorities for your family.

A race run without a known finish line results in an exhausted runner who may or may not achieve success.  Adding to a pension without having a goal can result in retiring later than you intend, or not at all.  And of course a college student who doesn’t have at least one eye on graduation may be destined to turn into the perpetual student…constantly eating into mom and dad’s already dwindling retirement account.

The bottom line is this…knowing the end of a project or journey is of utmost importance.  Especially when it comes to your family! While you never truly graduate or finish parenting, there are some major “ends” that you should be looking forward to and planning for.  When a child gets their license, graduates high school, gets married, etc.  Now, not to scare the mother of a 3 year-old…but these events can jump up out of nowhere if you aren’t parenting with purpose now.

So, how do you see your parental journey? It’s easy to get hyper-focused on the next step in front of you and not realize the destination your child is headed towards. How are you balancing your focus on the “now” as well as the “then”?  Truth is, your perspective and attitude towards your child’s destination will determine a lot about how, and if, they get there.

If you happen to be a parent of a current high school senior, it is my goal to help you arrive at the correct destination! As your student is nearing a major milestone, fpStudents is here to help.  This coming Sunday, February 26th, we will have a Sr. Field Trip to the Faith Promise UT Campus!  This event will include breakfast, a Q&A with a panel of UT students and a chance to experience the Faith Promise worship service at our UT-Knoxville location.  All you have to do to sign up is email me at [email protected].

Know that the Family Ministry is here to help you along your parenting journey.  For more information on how to get connected check out www.faithpromise.org/family.