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Today we're discussing the third part of Lead Your Family Like Jesus. That includes chapters 7, 8, and 9. We've talked about the heart and the head so far. Now we're focusing on the hands. 
Chapter 7 – Make The Most
Our kids are only in our house for a short period of time. The time we have to be direct influences over our children is fleeting. Because of this, it is so important we value and treasure each day we have with our kids. One of the ways that we can be more effective during this brief time is to pay attention to our kids' ability and willingness. Ability is your child's capacity to learn and obey. Willingness on the other hand is their motivation or confidence to learn and obey. Each child is different, so it is important to figure out where they are lacking – is it one or both of these areas? Knowing what is holding them back will make loads of difference in how you lead them and how far you can take them.
Chapter 8 – Help Them Succeed
Jesus was committed to making sure that His disciples succeeded. He sent them out to serve with clear direction. There was a clear vision. That was to do what the Father directs. How can we help our kids succeed? We need to set goals, praise their progress, and redirect them as needed. This requires direction, daily coaching, and evaluating our kids progress. Most parents fail to set clear goals for their kids. Without that vision, they don't know where they are headed or what is expected of them. Make your goals clear and commit to the best interest of your kids.
Chapter 9 – Inspire
“If we give obedience a bad name, it will carry for reaching consequences.”
We're called to model and nurture obedience in our kids. As parents, we are an image of God for our kids. What they see in us is going to affect how they view God. They are going to imitate us and “what they see is what you get.” They are going to do what they see us doing. We can't avoid that. The point of your kids obeying you is for them to learn to obey God. 
My friend Kim has written a study that you can go through with your kids called “Because I Said So.” It's all about the hows and whys of obedience. I'm going through it with Jonathan right now. If you're struggling with obedience (yourself or with your kids), Because I Said So is a great resource for looking at Biblical characters and how they rightly, and wrongly, handled obedience. Get Because I Said So from Not Consumed in a regular version for your upper elementary kids or a junior version for your younger readers and writers.
Your Turn!
What were your favorite thoughts and quotes from Part 2? What did God show you as you read? Share with us in the comments! It's not too late to jump into the book club. You can read at your own pace and go back to the old posts any time. You can get your FREE printable journal and all of the details about the book club here in this post. We're reading Part 4 and chapters 10, 11, and 12 this week. Christin will be leading the discussion on Part 4 next Wednesday at Joyful Mothering. We're so glad you're reading and learning to lead your family like Jesus with us! Note: I'm reading from the Kindle version of Lead Your Family Like Jesus so I'm unable to give you page numbers for the quotes in this post. Material Disclosure: Trica Goyer provided me with a free copy of Lead Your Family Like Jesus in exchange for promoting summer reading.
