Plans, Purposes, & Pursuits Week 2
Day 2
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6
We say we want our kids to follow God, but if someone watched our home for a week, what would they say we’re actually training them to love?
That question cuts deeper than we expect, because formation doesn’t happen through intention alone, it happens through repetition.
Abraham didn’t just hope Isaac would choose wisely one day. He built a life that made the right choice more likely. He understood something that every parent, leader, and individual needs to wrestle with:
People tend to choose from what is consistently put in front of them.
That principle is shaping our home right now, whether we’re aware of it or not.
Because every day, our life is putting options on display:
What gets celebrated
What gets prioritized
What gets sacrificed for
And over time, those patterns become preferences.
We often assume our kids, or even we ourselves, will just “figure it out” spiritually later. But Scripture paints a different picture. Formation is happening now, in the ordinary rhythms of life.
Not just in what you say, but in what you repeat.
Think about it honestly.
What does your weekly rhythm communicate?
Is church central or occasional?
Is prayer normal or rare?
Is God’s Word something you engage with or something that sits untouched?
Because those patterns are louder than any conversation you’ll ever have.
Abraham lived in a culture that did not honor God. He could not control everything, but he could control what he exposed his son to. So when it came time for Isaac’s future, he made a decisive move: he refused to let his son’s life be shaped by a godless environment.
Not out of fear, but out of clarity.
He knew that environment influences direction.
And that truth still stands.
If we consistently place ourselves, or our family, in environments where:
God is minimized
Values are compromised
Faith is casual
Then over time, that becomes normal.
But when we intentionally place our life in environments where:
God is honored
Truth is taught
Faith is active and growing
Something shifts.
Faith becomes visible.
Conviction becomes stronger.
Discernment becomes sharper.
This is why consistent involvement in the house of God matters so much. It’s not about checking a box, it’s about shaping a life.
Because in those environments:
You see what real faith looks like
You build relationships with people who share your values
You witness growth, transformation, and obedience in real time
And that exposure changes what we recognize as “normal.”
But here’s where this gets uncomfortable.
Our priorities are often revealed not by what we say, but by what we fund and what we make time for.
We will invest heavily in what we value most.
Time. Money. Energy.
They always follow our affections.
So when spiritual things are consistently pushed aside for everything else, we shouldn’t be surprised when spiritual desire begins to fade.
This isn’t about guilt, it’s about awareness.
Because what we consistently elevate becomes what we eventually love.
And this applies beyond parenting.
Even if we’re single or not raising children,we are still being formed:
By our friendships
By our habits
By our environment
We are placing influences in front of our own life every day.
So we need to ask ourselves:
What voices shape my thinking?
What environments shape my desires?
What rhythms are shaping my future decisions?
Because eventually, we won’t choose randomly, we’ll choose from what feels familiar.
Abraham made sure that when Isaac chose, godliness would feel familiar.
That’s intentional living.
And it leads to a powerful question we can’t ignore:
Are we setting our life, and our family, up to recognize God’s best… or unintentionally training ourselves to settle for less?
Because what we normalize today becomes what we pursue tomorrow.
And over time, what we pursue becomes the life we build.
