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by Ami Samuels

I very vividly remember a day when my oldest son Brandon was in seventh grade. We were returning to school after an appointment, and as we were walking in, he noticed the secretary approaching the door with her hands full, and he ran ahead and opened the door for her. After I signed him back in and was walking out of the building, he turned as he was going around the corner and said, “Bye, Mom!”

I went out to my car and began to cry. I cried because in that very moment I saw my little boy slipping away and glimpses of the man he would become.

I went home and wrote him a letter telling him how proud we were of him, of his character, and of who God created him to be. I cited situations where he had shown grace and compassion, and ultimately I reminded him of who he is in Christ.

When my youngest son Nicholas turned 13, I wrote him a similar letter. We have kept these letters, as they are dear to us.

You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you. I have a very important reason.

Ladies and gentleman, if we don’t tell our children who they are in Christ, make no mistake: the world will try and tell them who they are.

I like to say we are all uniquely handcrafted by God, but I have found that the world is more fond of molding and shaping us to look like them or however they think we should look. How many times have we heard our children say “They said I’m…” stupid, ugly, fat, too tall, too short, not cool; you fill in the blank. As parents, it is crucial that we remind our children that of these truths:

• “For you created my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
• “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
• “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

We need to tell our children that they are a child of God, and they are uniquely handcrafted by God. Be sure to tell your children who they are in Christ, because make NO mistake that the world will tell them who they want them to be.

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