Calling Out Your Child's Destiny

One amazing privilege we have as parents is to partner with God in calling out our children’s destiny. All throughout the Bible, God partnered with parents in naming their children. Names were not taken lightly due to the belief in names ultimately influencing the children’s destiny. Children were given names based on both who they would be and what they were placed on earth to do. Many times, God told the parents what to name their child before they were born. In doing so, He set it up so every time a parent called their child’s name, they were declaring over them their identity and destiny.

We believe God was trying to show us the power of words. What we speak is what we create, and in giving names to children, God and parents together created them to be the people He designed them to be. In our culture today, we may not value names and words the same as they did back then, but the principle still applies. God wants us to call out our children’s destinies every single day.

One way I, Lauren, connect with God is through pictures. He sometimes shows me something about a person by giving me a picture for them. As funny as it sounds, oftentimes it’s an animal they might have similar characteristics to. For all of our children, God has shown me an animal they have characteristics like. Our daughter Brooklyn is like an owl. Owls are amazing at seeing at night, and they are very perceptive. Brooklyn has always had vivid and memorable dreams at night. She’s also been very perceptive of people and what is going on in them and with them. She will walk in a room and start to feel very uncomfortable if there is someone there who makes her feel unsafe.

For our son August I got a picture of a tortoise. When I looked up tortoises in folklore, they are one of the most revered animals in all of history. They represent wisdom. We also all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. August is very much the tortoise. He is not lazy, but he does do life at his own pace. I always keep in mind “slow and steady wins the race” when I’m with August.

Aero is like a hawk. Although he’s still young, we can already see how he is like a hawk. He’s daring, fearless, and always on the move. He’s also observant and watchful. It will be fun to watch those characteristics develop and grow as he gets older.

We both also have journals for our children. Seth keeps a journal where he occasionally writes down notes to the children. He writes thoughts he has about them or different things God has told him. Lauren keeps a journal of things God has showed her about each child. We don’t write in these all the time. Maybe once every few months, but we are intentional at keeping track of what God has shown us about each of our children so we can call out their destinies and help shape them into the arrows they were meant to be.

As much as we can find identity in them through what we see, it is equally powerful to recognize things about our kids by paying attention to what they love.  is can be through a number of ways, but children show a lot about themselves in the characters they admire. is can be their favorite Bible character, their favorite movie character, superhero, or even the job they want to have when they get older. When children tell us what they want to do when they get older, they are telling us who they already are. Our daughter loved a TV show about a doctor and is always caring for others and taking their vitals. Our son August loved Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars.  These are telling us quite a lot about them already while they are still very young. Yes, interests will change and kids will grow up, but these characters possess something our children connect to and often show us things we might not have seen otherwise.

What characters are your children currently drawn to? What qualities do those characters have that your children identify with? Ask God what these mean and partner with Him in calling out your child’s destiny!