Parents strongly influence their child’s worldview, whether they intend to or not. What are you teaching your child? Are you including the whole picture or just part of the elephant?
We are now hosting Worldview Parties (#worldviewparty). These parties are a fun opportunity to introduce children and families to the concept of worldview. They are designed to not only begin to reveal children’s and families’ current worldviews, but also to begin interacting with other worldviews. Click here for more information.
Editor’s note: The UNIQUE Family Discipleship Weekend has replaced our worldview parties. Learn more here.
So what is a worldview anyway?
See this video.
The old joke says that if you lead four blind men to each discovers a different part of an elephant, the four will tell you with conviction that it is four different animals.
A worldview is a pair of glasses used to make sense of the world and relationships around us. It includes your sense of style, preferences, how you handle confrontation, and numerous other things.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
An old Indian parable tells the story of three blind men who encountered an elephant for the first time. The first man felt the legs. “Wow! Feel how strong and solid and round these are. They must be pillars.” The second man said, “They can’t be! They’re flat and thin and kind of flexible. They must be a fan.” The third man thought they were both crazy. “Feel how thin and strong it is. It must be a rope.” The three were so convinced they had figured out this mystery that they argued for quite some time.
Finally, a fourth man walked by. This man could see. He said, “My friends, you have all made very good observations, but you are missing so much! You’re right. The legs are round and solid and strong, much like a pillar. But the ears are thin and flexible like a fan. But the tail is strong and thin like a rope. And there’s so much more to this magnificent creature. Let’s introduce you to the elephant.
A worldview is a pair of glasses, or in this case, hands. They help us to understand the world and the relationships around us. It includes our style of dress, our preferences, the foods we like, the music we listen to, all kinds of things. They all work together to help us make sense of things, answer the hard questions, help us to relate to others. These things are built in the beginning by our parents, by those around us, by our education, by the encounters we have in life. All these things work together to build our worldview.
You know, often times we argue about our points of view and our worldview. But there’s only One who sees and knows everything and that is God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (NIV). You know, when we admit we don’t know everything and we ask God to help us, He loves to answer our questions. And the place to start is in God’s Word.
Are you including God’s Word in what you teach your children? Are you including the whole elephant or just part of it? For more ideas about how to include the Bible in what you teach your children, or what that might even look like, check our Parent Road Ministries at parentroadmin.com. Have a blessed day.
Related posts:
- Worldview: Which Rainbow Are You Chasing?
- The Dress and Your Worldview
- Peek Inside The Answer Book
