My wife and I
have been parenting our four children for 25 years. During that time, we have
learned some things that I'd like to share with you. Let me say quickly that if
you are hoping to hear from someone who has been a perfect Christian parent,
you will be disappointed. We have made our share of mistakes like every
Christian parent does.
There is a
phantom Christian parent out there somewhere who does everything perfectly.
They lead their children to Christ at an early age, always have them at church,
never miss daily devotions with them, never get angry, always have the wisdom
needed for every situation, have a great marriage, always pray and read their
Bibles, and spend a lot of personal time engaging each child. I call them a
phantom because that parent does not exist!
I often ask
people in our Parenting by Grace class how many New Testament verses there are
on parenting. If someone had asked you that question, how would you have
answered it? I've heard everything from 100 to 10 to none. The answer is that
there are only two. They are Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21 which say almost
exactly the same thing.
Because parenting
is such a challenging responsibility, that doesn't seem fair, does it? Its
like, "Come on, Lord. Could you give me at least 10 Scriptures about
parenting?"
A long time ago I asked, "Why are there only
two?" Then I believe the Holy Spirit gave me the answer. It's because God
assumes that we understand the Gospel so well that we know how He parents us.
He is our model of how to parent our children. Here are some important truths I
believe He wants us to understand about parenting.
Our Father loves
and accepts us unconditionally whether we obey or sin. It's one of the
privileges of being one of His children. This does not mean there are no
consequences for sinning. If you rob a bank, you will go to prison
and God will love and accept you all the way there!
Our Daddy does
not punish us but disciplines us according to Hebrews 12. To punish us would
mean that Jesus' payment for our sins was incomplete therefore we are being
made to pay for them. Discipline is different because it is not retribution but
guidance. It means that we are off track and our Father is trying to get us
back on track.
When we
understand the Gospel, our Daddy assumes that we are going to rely on Christ in
us to be a parent through us. When Jesus said in John 15:5, "Without me,
you can do nothing", He was including parenting. A parent must
daily declare to Jesus that he or she is utterly dependent on Him to do the
parenting through them.
I remember
several occasions that what came out of my mouth in response to one of my
children was so wise, I knew it was from Christ in me. To keep it real, I also
remember things coming out of my mouth that were from the flesh because I was
not relying on Christ in me!
The greatest parent in
the world is God Himself who lives in you! Ask Him to parent your children
through you and watch Him work!
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding
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