The Achievement Trap: Creating Creators

Seven hours a day of digital content is shaping our kids more than we want to admit, and it is pushing them toward a passive life of consumption. We go back to Genesis and Exodus to recover God’s assignment for our families and we give you a simple practice to turn talent into impact. 

• seven-plus hours of screen content as formation, not just entertainment 
• why “passive generation” describes a trained posture of consumption 
• Genesis 1:28 as a cultural mandate to bring order and beauty 
• changing culture by creating, not by critiquing from the sidelines 
• Bezalel in Exodus 31 as a picture of Spirit-empowered craftsmanship 
• seeing kids’ talents as gifts for stewardship, not just hobbies 
• the Creation Challenge using a creation-to-consumption ratio 
• mission projects that fit real homes, from letters to coding to gardens 
• one guiding question: true, good, or beautiful 
• impact as making the world more like the kingdom, not climbing higher 

If this episode encouraged you, please share it with another parent who could use this resource, even this whole mini-series, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode. And like we've said, rate us five stars because we know that you think our podcast is out of this world. 

Send any questions you want answered to podcast@waynechristian.org

This podcast is presented by Wayne Christian School- A Christ-centered community school whose mission is to assist parents and churches in the education of their children from a biblical worldview to impact their world for Christ. You can learn more at waynechristian.org 

Transcript

Seven Hours Of Daily Influence

Nate 0:00

The average teenager in twenty twenty six spends more than seven hours a day consuming digital content. Seven hours. That's before school, after practice, late at night, when you think they're asleep.

Luis 0:14

And here's what makes that number more than just a statistic. It's a formation statistic. Every one of those hours, someone is shaping how your child sees the world, what they want, what they fear, what they think success looks like, and most of the time, that someone does not share your values.

Nate 0:34

Sociologists have started calling this generation the passive generation. Not because they're lazy. These kids are incredibly capable. But the default posture that technology has trained them into is consumption. Take it in, scroll, react, repeat.

Luis 0:52

And for a Christian parent, that should be more than inconvenient. It should be alarming. Because we were not designed to be spectators in someone else's stories. From the very first page of scripture, God makes clear that his image bearers are creators, not just consumers.

Nate 1:17

Welcome to Equipped for Impact, the podcast designed to assist Christian parents, leaders, and educators to raise up the next generation, to stand firm in their faith, and influence the world for Christ. We're your hosts. I'm Nate and I'm Lewis. And we are glad you're here with us today in our third and final episode of our series, The Achievement Trap. If you've been with us, you know we started by talking about identity. Who your child is has nothing to do with their GPA. And then last week we moved on to ambition. The question isn't how high they can climb, but what they should be climbing toward. And so if you didn't get to either of those episodes, I would encourage you to go ahead and go back, listen to those two episodes. They're going to be really good for you to kind of lay the groundwork for what we're talking about today. But if you didn't, that's okay. We're going to keep going on as we talk about impact. What does it actually look like to raise a child who makes a difference rather than just making a living?

Luis 2:19

And we want to be honest with you up front. This episode is going to challenge you as much as it challenges your kids. Because the same trap that that has them scrolling for hours has most of us doing the same thing.

Genesis And The Cultural Mandate

Nate 2:32

Yeah. So so I think the best place, Lewis, for us to start is we go back to the beginning. Right? You always got to start at the beginning. Like in the beginning. Like in the beginning. You know that the only sport mentioned in the Bible is baseball. Is it? Yeah. Genesis one. In the big inning. In the big inning. Wow. There you go. Wow. This is where we need the little like sound effects of the I may have one on my computer. I'm going to have to start getting the sound effects ready to use. We're ready to go. Okay, no, no, no. But for serious now, let's go back to Genesis one, right? Because I think that's the foundation for everything else we're going to talk about today as we talk about impact and what we're even here for.

Luis 3:14

Yeah. So in Genesis 128, God blesses humanity and he tells them to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth and subdue it. Now, when most people read that, they think that it's just about having children. And that's part of it. But it's a lot bigger than that, right? So the word subdue here carries the idea of bringing order to what is in the wild, about bringing beauty to what is raw. And so God is essentially giving Adam and Eve the keys to continue the unfinished creation. And he tells them, go make something out of this, right? Like God has has finished creation. He's finished his part to creation. He has established the boundaries. He has told the sea where to go, the mountains, and all of that has come into play. And then God says, Here it is, here's your canvas. Now you go and have dominion. You go and be in charge of this. You go be stewards of my creation. Yeah.

Nate 4:21

And I love that because it's it really is like Adam and Eve and humanity in general are like God's, you know, not co-regent regents, but maybe vice regents. Like we're under him ruling over creation. And that's not just, you know, Earth, right? It would be all of the universe. Like, spoiler alert, we're actually recording this to the day that the Artemis II is supposed to launch. And so I may be slightly distracted looking at the live stream as they're like tanking the rocket. But like stuff like that really excites me because it's it's humanity, you know. I don't know whether these four astronauts are believers or not, but humanity taking dominion of even outer space, right? That's that's all of God's creation. Yeah. And it I think where this actually lands for us, because I don't think any astronauts are listening. If you are an astronaut and you're listening to us, podcast at wingchristian.org, send us an email. I'd love to hear it. But and review us too. Yeah, five stars, please, because we are out of this world. Oh, you see what I did, man.

Luis 5:24

I don't know. Now, I think I understand why you eat breakfast for dinner now. I'm I'm beginning to understand it. Are you? Okay.

Create Culture Instead Of Critique

Nate 5:33

I think that's the clip that we post on social media today. Um anyway, okay. Get back on track. But Andy Crouch is a guy, he's written uh a lot of about uh this whole idea, and he's probably thought more carefully about this than than anyone else alive right now. But he he talks about culture and how you know Genesis 128 is not just the creation mandate, but it's a cultural mandate. Because the only way you change culture is to actually create more of it, right? You don't change culture by standing on the sidelines critiquing it. Ooh, that's good. You actually have to make something that didn't exist before, yeah, right? Then that's what's gonna make a difference in the world.

Luis 6:13

And we're not talking about some abstract theological idea, right? This this has a name, and and and Nate just mentioned it, right? Theologians call it the cultural mandate. It's the assignment that every human being carries from birth, but that every Christian carries with particular clarity and purpose. And so we're here to take the raw material of this world and make something that points back to it. There's a guy that I enjoy listening to, his name's Dr. Brian Smith, and he talks about bending creation back, right? And so creation right now, because of sin and the fall, is bent in a direction it shouldn't be bent in. And this cultural mandate, this dominion mandate is calling us to bend it back.

Nate 7:03

Yeah, I think that's that's really good. And and so that's what makes the passive generation problem not just a parenting headache, right? It's a it's a theological crisis because our kids spend fifty hours a week letting someone else shape their imagination. And so they're quietly abandoning the very assignment God made them to go out and create something new. Instead, they're just they're just consuming what somebody else is making.

Luis 7:31

And here's an image from Exodus 31, and it's probably a story that you probably have read and you've never really paid much attention to. But in Exodus 31, God fills a man named Bezalel with the spirit. And specifically, Bezalel is to become a craftsman, right? And so he is going to do wood, metal, stone, fabric, and God pours out his spirit so this man can make beautiful things, and those beautiful things become the tabernacle, and the tabernacle is the place where God dwells with his people. So think about that for a minute, right? God gave a craftsman's creativity so that he could create, he could design, he could use his talents to create an area that becomes the dwelling place of God.

Nate 8:32

Yeah. And so that that image should really change how we talk about our kids and their gifts, right? You know, you're not gonna see in the New Testament on the list of like spiritual gifts, you're not gonna see like playing the piano or writing code or you know, anything like that. But but really all of those talents, physical, you know, talents, are gifts from God, right? That that our children have received. They may not have you know noticed it yet, uh, discovered it yet, but they have these talents as gifts from God. So the kid who codes, the kid who build things in the garage at at 10 o'clock at night, they're not just hobbyists, right? They're Bzelels. They're out there creating things with the talents God has given them, gifted them with to, you know, fulfill the creation mandate that He's He's given all of us.

The Creation Challenge At Home

Luis 9:24

So that kid who may be spending hours on Minecraft, like designing and building worlds and houses and cities in some cases, right? Most of them are spending that creative energy watching someone else build something, or maybe even building something that's useless or pointless. Right. But God has given them a gift to create, to to fulfill the creation, the cultural mandate.

Nate 9:52

Yeah. So so let's get practical, right? Let's let's shift into what this actually looks like in your homes, because we know you know you're a busy parent and you need something you can actually use, not just think about. So so Lewis, what what does this actually look like in a normal family's home here?

Luis 10:10

So let's give you something easy that you can replicate, and we're gonna call it the creation challenge. I mean, it's just something to remember, right? Just something simple enough that you can start tonight and meaningful enough to change the rhythm of your home over time. And so the way that it's gonna work is for the next week, you implement what we're calling a creation to consumption ratio. And so what we mean by that is for every hour of entertainment that your child consumes, whether that's on YouTube, Netflix, Snapchat, gaming, whatever, they then commit to 30 minutes of what we're calling a mission project. Nate, tell us about that mission project.

Nate 10:57

Yeah, yeah. So before you tune out and think like a mission project, and this is just like it's a chore, it's a punishment, it's a whatever, right? But this is this is supposed to be a creative act with a purpose, right? And so let your child choose whatever this is. And it doesn't have to be something big. Like we're not saying go out and code a new app, right? Although if that's what your kid is good at and they choose it, absolutely, that'd be wonderful. But it can be something simple. Like write a letter to a grandparent who lives, you know, far away, maybe lives alone, and and they don't get much connection, right? And and so there they're creating something with their words. It could be practicing an instrument, you know, learning to play the piano, the guitar, the trumpet, the trombone, the tuba. If you play the tuba and you're listening to this, please email us podcast at wingchristian.org. And radar episode. Yes, and radar episode. But it it can be building something in the garage, right? It can be coding. It can be, you know, robotics. They make robotics kits that are really fun that you can build. It can be this is spring when this is of originally airing. You may not be listening to it in the spring, but it's spring and and you can start a garden. It the form doesn't really matter as much as the posture. We're trying to get our people to change from what are we, you know, our st our children to not just be consuming, but they're actually creating things. So while while they're working on it, you can ask them a question, right? Just one question How does what you're making reflect something that's true, something good or something beautiful?

Turning Talents Into Service

Luis 12:35

And that question right there, it does more than you think because it's going to connect their creative act, whatever they're creative in, to this larger story, and it trains them to think like a kingdom creator instead of just a hobbyist. And over time, it builds what I'd call that stewardship muscle, right? That deep instinctive understanding that they're not here just to be entertained, but they're here to be ambassadors. And like Nate pointed out, find something that they're already good at, something that they already enjoy, and let them flex that muscle. I love when I see young people serving in our churches with their talents. Here at our school, we have a class that where students are able to be a part of our praise team, but we've intentionally restructured that class so that anybody can be a part of it, and anybody can serve in that because there are multiple elements to serving in a music department for a church. Like you may not be a pianist, you may not be a vocalist, but somebody needs to run the sound. Right. Somebody needs to set up the mics, somebody needs to make sure that the piano, the keyboard, the guitar is tuned. Somebody needs to make sure that those things the words on the screen advance at the right time. Yes. And so all of those That's a lot harder than you think it is, by the way. I hate using the clicker when I preach, yeah, but I use one and it's the most inconvenient thing. The other day I was preaching, and as I was moving my hands, the clicker flew out of my hands up in the air in the middle of a sermon. Thankfully, because I am pretty skilled in football, I was able to catch it one-handed before it hit the ground.

Nate 14:24

Ah, okay. So you didn't like knock the battery out or anything. No, no, no. The the key to advancing the slides in the song is like you have to be singing along with the song. And then like you click it a second ahead of when you actually need it.

Luis 14:38

And sometimes they switch the bridge or the chorus, and then they're like, But that's just on your leader.

Nate 14:43

Whoever's leading your music, if they're like following, I don't know, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and they just go back in the song, it's like that messes up.

Luis 14:50

And then you see the slides like click all the way back to And then forward and then back.

Escaping The Achievement Trap

Nate 14:54

Oh my goodness. No, but that's a skill, right? And then you're serving. And I love that question of what's true, good or beautiful about this, right? That whole idea, you know, you're planting a garden, yeah, right, and you're making something beautiful. It's good because if it's vegetable garden, right, you're getting healthy food. Um, if you're coding something or building a drone, uh, you know, an RC car, number one, that's fun if you're nerdy. Number two, you know, it's it's skills where you're really harnessing these abilities. Harnessing these abilities to, you know, do something that that is true. You know, it works. You're making something physical, tangible that works. Yeah. And it's a skill you can use one day. Yeah. Are you Am I what? Nerdy? Uh absolutely. Didn't I already say that I've got the uh the Artemis live stream up right now? After this episode, there is no doubt left in the minds of our listeners. That's right. They actually have just finished loading the uh hydrogen into the core stage of the rocket. So in case anybody wants to know, you can pinpoint at what time we are recording this in the future. So anyway, so so we've talked about this and and we've gone through kind of these these three parts here of this story, right?

Luis 16:07

And we started by telling you that your child's identity is not in the report card. Yep. It's incorrect. Anything, right? Uh we told you that ambition isn't evil, but ambition aimed only at a personal achievement will hollow your child out from the inside. And today, what we've said is that impact doesn't come from climbing higher than anyone else. It comes from creating something that makes the world more like the kingdom.

Nate 16:35

Yeah, that's right. And so this achievement trap we've been talking about for three episodes, it's real, right? The culture will pull your kids toward it every single day. Grades, scores, followers, highlights, whatever. The pressure is relentless. And so you have something the culture doesn't, right? You have a better story. A story where your child is known by name by the God of the universe, the creator, who's gifted your child and you with a purpose uh that no algorithm assigned to them, right? And then your child has been sent into this world not to perform, but to create for the glory of God, right? And then that's an exciting thing that we can really grasp onto. And so doing this uh, you know, creation challenge or the mission project is something that really your kids can latch on to. So, Lewis, as we wrap up today, what what encouragement would you give uh the parents who are are listening to the end of this little mini-series?

Luis 17:37

Parents, when you go home tonight, look at your talent differently. Don't just look at them and see a student with a transcript. Don't just look at them and see an athlete that's really good at their sport. Don't look at them and see a talented musician. See a craftsman, see a bezalel, and see someone who carries the cultural mandate in their bones and just needs a parent who believes it before they will. Because that's what you are, and that's why you're here, and that's why God made you their parent.

Final Encouragement And Next Steps

Nate 18:16

That's great, and I hope that is encouraging for all of you listening today. So, thank you all for listening to Equipped for Impact. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with another parent who could use this resource, even this whole mini-series, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode. And like we've said, rate us five stars because we know that you think our podcast is out of this world. Especially after today. Especially after today. But until then, keep leading the next generation to stand firm in their faith and influence the world for Christ.