"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
Parenting-something we wish Jesus would have sent a step by step manual on.Those who can figure out together, how it's to be done, according to the Word of God, finds something of such rarity. The problem is, it's so rare only a very very small few have figured it out.
Parenting is a daily choice we make when God gifts us with children. Parenting is hard, rewarding, frustrating, exciting, work, and something that can't be done without God's help, mercy, guidance, and teaching.
I truly have a great respect for single parents. For those who do it well, I pray it's because they do it with Christ as the center.
For married couples, I pray they do it with Christ as the center and as a team. It's so hard to parent when you and your spouse are not on the same page. I believe many of us can testify to that.
The problem when parents are on different pages is the lack of communication. When we don't pray about it as a couple, we allow Satan to step in and attack; this can cause many problems. When we fail to work as a team, we allow Satan, the opponent to step in cause dissension among the team and cause confusion among our children.
Parenting has changed so much over the years. I often wonder what it was like 40, even 80 years ago. How was it done in Godly homes? Homes where the mamas stayed home and only the daddies worked. Homes where God truly was the center of all things and it was evident when you saw those families.
Today, you have so many people trying to parent every one's kids. You have advice and criticism coming at you from every angle. If you child is hyper, you lack control. If your child does not sit still and listen, you are teaching them poorly. If you don't say what they think you should say, you baby them to much.
If the mama doesn't tend to the kids so the husband can go and do what he wants, you are a bad mom and wife.
And it doesn't stop there. We all think we can parent better than the next. The truth is, we can't! We are all, who love the Lord are trying to do our best. We fail often, but we get up and keep trying. Our convictions are different from each others. Our hearts desires are different.
Our children are all different, not one is the same. Oh, how well do I know that with my own two boys.
Our parents are not the same as other parents. Nor do we parent exactly like our parents did. For some, the lessons they learned or the struggles, heartache, joys, etc they went through have shaped them to parent the way either they wished they would've been parented or parent because how great they were parented.
But the truth is, if we parent from the example our parents set rather than the example Christ set for us, we not only set ourselves up for failure, we set our children up for failure.
We are to parent as Christ parents. We are to follow His example. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should not listen to the advice of older parents, but we are to be very careful to take every bit of advice and place it under the microscope of God's Word and make sure it aligns with His will and His Word.
We are to look and seek those who are still seeking to live holy and righteous lives and who have sought to follow the steps of God's Word, for wisdom.
As parents, we all desire our children to honor and respect us, but if we don't set the example of honoring and respecting Christ, it brings confusion to our children and gives us little to stand on.
I am thankful for the example the Lord set for me and what parenting is to look like. I fail often, but seek to do it His way. If I do nothing else in this life, I pray I point my boys to Christ. To live like Him, to love Him, to serve Him, to honor Him, and to make sure He is always in the center of their lives. And I know that in order for them to know how to do that, I have to set the example.
If the Lord reveals anything to you today, I pray it is that He has given you the choice to choose today how you will parent, and that through Him and with Him you can break the generational line. You today, can choose the example you will set and the legacy you will leave.
