6 Ways to Help Your Child Identify and Serve Their Purpose

Ever imagined the benefit of your child serving their purpose way early in life?

Children are a gift from God, so surely they have a purpose on this earth. I love the Samuel and Eli story in (1 Samuel 3:1–21). Hannah, a barren woman, prays to God to open her womb, her prayer is answered as always is the case; she then gives Samuel, her son, to the Lord in service in the temple.

Fast forward; Samuel lived with Eli the priest for a while and got to know him well. One night, God called Samuel three times but he mistook the Lord for Eli so he ran to Eli in response. The third time is when Eli realized it was the Lord calling him. So he instructs Samuel to respond by saying “speak Lord, for your servant hears” and BOOM!! That was the turning point. Samuel received his first prophecy and grew up to be a great prophet.

“A man’s gift will bring him before kings”

Why is this story even significant?

Samuel barely knew the Lord because the word was rare in his time. But Eli did and was in a position to guide this young boy to respond to the Lord. We all have a purpose to serve on earth. Every man has a seed, a gift embedded in them just waiting for the right environment to sprout. The majority of people look on outward for their purpose while it screams deep down on the inside.

So what can you do to help your child serve their purpose?

Firstly, children need to know that their purpose is not just about them; it’s about what God wants to do through them. God’s purpose is bigger than them.

Purpose is not something you do part-time. It has to be at the core of who you are.

1. Create a close relationship with your child.

Oh yeah, we have to start somewhere. No child will just open up to you unless there is a functional relationship. So give the children a propitious environment where they can have healthy dialogue. Please be willing to actively listen to them. You will be amazed.

2. Encourage them to dream.

There is always that persistent and recurring dream. It just keeps reminding you of who you are and what you need to do in life but because of too much noise and the pressures of this world, we tend to ignore it. To some, it comes as a heavy burden.

I have a good friend Morris, who luckily, started documenting all his dreams from High school. Around fifty dreams in total when we started praying over them. We were surprised to find that 90% of the dreams were either reminding or reaffirming or shedding light or forming parts of previous dreams on specific instructions.

With time these dreams brought meaningful changes, wisdom and opened doors for Morris.

So let us encourage them not to take every dream lightly.

3. Find out what their passion and hobbies are.

This one seems easy to do but there is more than meets the eye. Kids will participate in all kinds of class activities like sports, reading, and community service because it’s a requirement. However, if you ask them what they are really passionate about, they will tell you. Don’t be surprised if it is totally different.

4. Attention to dissatisfaction

Yes, dissatisfaction can be a great thing in this context. Have you ever felt you could do something better? service delivery, teaching, or a relational gap that you could fill? There are some topics that are so close to your heart that light you up every time you think about them. Not only because they are pleasing and a great source of passion but could be a great burden.

Our children are not any different. So in your casual conversations, you can ask him what some of those things are. It will help sharpen his awareness and inclinations to what he is supposed to do.

5. Have great friends

When I battled so hard with the question of what my purpose was on earth, I remember God clearly sending me to two people. Kimuli Edward and Hakim John. These were my high school and university roommates respectively.

At this point God had already told me what my purpose was, the problem is I did not believe Him. So I guess he sent me their way just to prove me wrong.

I was embarrassed and humbled when I asked them separately who they thought I was about. Their answers were the same.

6. Constantly support and remind them.

This one is easy if you have been practicing the above. Just be in their faces and help them not lose focus in their stride. Provide the material and resources they need to succeed in their field of preference. Plus throw every positive word you can get at them. You need them to succeed in this area.

So what now…

If we create the right relationship with our children and regularly encourage them to embrace dreams, journal them as frequently as possible and pray with them over those dreams, we could just be the Eli that guides them to unlocking their purpose in life.

Remember, “A man’s gift will bring him before kings”

Can you even imagine with me the amount of time, effort, pressure, and frustration saved in the future for these young boys when they discover their purpose early in life? Let’s hold tight to our boys and walk this journey with them.