Parenting is tough. When we realize that while they are kids, we’re not actually raising kids, we’re raising future adults, it’s downright daunting. Usually, the right thing to do (in parenting and in life), is not the easy thing to do. Children are not usually others-centered, hard workers, responsible, or respectful naturally. These are traits that must be taught. And typically, the teaching process is not easy. They aren’t going to want to do the things that will teach them character, so if we don’t force them to, it’s not going to happen.

Raising future adults means parenting our children in such a way that we are mindful of the adult they will become. If we want our children to be persons of character, morally sound, hard workers, kind and compassionate, and others-centered, then that’s how we need to raise them. We cannot assume they will just magically become that way when they cross the threshold to adulthood.

Now, I won’t pretend to have all the answers or solutions, nor do I claim to be an expert at parenting (or anything else for that matter), this is just an observation. It’s something that is at the forefront of my mind, as I go through this parenting journey. And it’s something that’s been validated by an event I witnessed recently.

Several months ago, I went camping with my daughter, and I caught a glimpse of the person she is turning into. And I was incredibly proud of my girl. The morning was spent making crafts, and in the afternoon, they engaged in field play. At the end of the session, another little girl became distraught because she lost the craft necklace she had made earlier. It was to be a gift for her mom. Within moments, there were dozens of people scouring that field in search of this missing craft necklace, made with love, by a little girl, for her mother. Sadly, it was not found.

The search was forsaken after a time, and the little girl was inconsolable. At that moment, I saw my daughter approach this little girl. I was near enough to hear her, and I figured she was going to offer the girl her sympathies, and she did… but she did so much more. She told her how sorry she was that she (the little girl) lost the necklace and that they couldn’t find it. Then she said, “I know you worked hard to make it for your mom and it was a special present.” Taking off her own necklace, she offered it to the little(er) girl, saying, “You can have mine to give to your mom. I know it’s not yours, but I don’t mind.”

Wow, talk about a proud Mama! In that brief moment, I witnessed my daughter extend to another hurting person, the virtues of compassion, validation, love, and kindness. It was completely unprompted by me (in the same way that she goes out of her way to thank heroes ~ military, police, and firemen ~  for their service). With tears clouding my eyes I saw her clearly as the person she is becoming… a world changer. Yes, I have worked hard to influence her to be a young lady of character, I have taught her right from wrong and shown her how to think of and care for others. But it’s more than that…

It’s her… it’s who she is. She is called and purposed, as a daughter of the King,  to reflect His light, show His love, and fulfill His calling in her life. In her own innocent and loving way, she tried to live out the saying, “Find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it.” She saw a situation that was hurtful to another person and had the confidence in herself, to believe there was something she could do to make it better.

That’s what a world changer does. They see, and then they do something about it. World changers don’t just pay lip service ~ they walk the talk. They walk in integrity. They offer encouragement, compassion, and kindness freely and without hesitation. They realize it doesn’t cost to be kind, but that kindness offered spreads far and wide. Like a pebble thrown into a lake, it doesn’t just affect the one spot it lands, but rather it ripples out, touching and changing even what is much further away. Kindness matters.