Parenting With Courage

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Raising children is daunting at best.  Do you remember the feeling you had when the delivery room nurse handed you your baby?  Remember that sense of awe and overwhelming love?  And as they prepared you for your discharge home, you realized that you have the complete responsibility for someone other than yourself…what she eats and drinks, when she eats and drinks, what she wears, her education, on and on…it is now completely up to you, her very survival depends on you, her parents.  

If I ask you to prioritize your responsibilities regarding your child, you would probably find it difficult to rank order them.  Oh, food and shelter would probably rank high on the list.  But, after that, what would your list look like?  And what about your role as teacher?  What would you say is the most important thing that you should teach your child?  

I agree with Paul David Tripp, “The most important thing that a child could ever learn is the existence, character, and plan of God.” According to Doctor Charles Stanley, “Very early in your child’s life…introduce them to the fact that God has a plan for them.” In Deuteronomy 6:5-7 we read, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

I prayed that our children would become productive, independent citizens.  I wanted them to love each other, help others, have successful careers, think for themselves and above all, love God with all their hearts and souls.  In order for this to happen, Dennis and I had to take action, we had to lead our children to know and love God, we had to be diligent in leading our children to Jesus.  We read Bible stories to them.  We didn’t just send them to church, we took them.  We used every day occurrences to introduce them to stories about Jesus. And, we prayed with them.

Yes, raising children is a daunting task.  However, we must remember that, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”  If God made you a parent, through adoption or birth, He will give you what you need to raise your child. You can be the parent God wants you to be.  And, you can raise your child to love God and seek His plan for her life.  You just need to seek Him and follow Him.  He will not leave you nor forsake you.  Remember, God always keeps His promises.