Hi Friends,
While I am going to direct this article to My Sisters out there, Dad’s can always learn a thing or two also. So whether you are a Mom, a Mom-to-be, or have ever known a Mom, it is important to continually learn what God has to say about parenting because it really should take a village to raise our children. Listen to this verse:
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Pr 22:6 ESV
Learn from the Greatest Teacher. The truth is we cannot teach what we do not know. So the more we learn about how God deals with His children, the more equipped we will be to deal with ours. We must learn to be self-LESS humans, and one of the best ways to learn this is by bringing another tiny human into this complex world. Could this be why God, in His Omniscient Wisdom, gives us the opportunity to have children of our own? So we could learn to think outside “Self” and be more concerned with another fragile heart, soul and body? So we can learn what real Love is all about? I believe for all these reasons and so much more. It is indescribably joyful to have a child, but it is also incredibly challenging too. God knows this very well, and He wants us to experience its up’s and down’s too, so we can see things from His viewpoint more accurately. God loves us even when we are having a tantrum, and He wants us to learn to love others when they might be testing our patience too. And hopefully, if we can learn to love this way with our children, then we just might be able to love everyone that way. Hopefully, I said. Being a parent presents countless opportunities to become more and more like our Creator, which is the whole point to life. As we teach our children, we learn. And if we learn, we should teach others. And so we become more and more involved in God’s Plan for Humanity. We teach our children what unconditional love is, as we receive and live in God’s unconditional Love. This means we love them no matter what, even if we do not approve of everything they do. Some would call this boundaries. And the more we learn from the Greatest Father, the more we will be able to teach the right way of living to our own children.
All God’s children must learn. Life should be a learning process for everyone. A big part of being a child is the fact that we must learn how life works…that’s where parents and esp Mom’s come in! If we truly want the next generation to know and follow Jesus, then their education must start with godly women who are taking the responsibility to teach and mentor our children. Again, whether you have children, hope to have children or just know children, young people need to see what a Christian looks like. As I said above, we cannot teach them what we do not know for ourselves, so we must start with our own growth if we really want our youngsters to grow up to be good human beings. As Mom’s, it is our responsibility and privilege to teach our children who they are in Christ and how to live a life that reflects this New Identity. And they DO have to be taught, because living a humble life, acknowledging that God is our Sovereign, Loving Father, does NOT come naturally to any of us. This is why we have to “train up” our children. Think of an athlete, for instance. It takes lots and lots of training to become good at their sport. How much more training is required, then, for our children to become good, self-less individuals who will seek to love God with all they’ve got and love their neighbor as themselves? We must teach our children how to love the way God loves us. If you are not sure what that looks like, check out 1Co 13. That kind of love must be taught. Good News though is, once we set the foundation and spread those good seeds into their hearts, when they grow up, they will not depart from it…as the lovely verse above promises.
Learning God’s Order. Our children must learn God’s Order for a family. Remember that picture of the umbrella from a couple of weeks ago? In a home where both Dad and Mom live together, the kiddies must understand that the marriage comes first. That what one parent says, the other will confirm and uphold. That they cannot divide and conquer the parents. That it is the parents that lead, while the children follow…not the other way around. We humans continue to turn God’s Order upside down and then wonder why there is so much stress in our households. Once again, when we do not follow what God has already set in place, everyone drowns, and Christ gets no glory! This should not be, my Sisters! Here’s an important lesson for our children to understand: God is a God of order, not chaos. Everything flows and is in unity and harmony in God’s Kingdom and this is what God originally desired for humanity. But the further we go away from His Plan, the more confusion there will be. Children need to know that they are important, that they are loved, that they are valued. And they also need to know they are NOT the boss of the household. Always teach that this is a matter of order, NOT an issue of value. We do a disservice to our children when we hold them up too high. They are not equipped for such a lofty role. They are not able to assess and make good decisions, no matter how much they think they can. They also must know they are just one part of something so much bigger than themselves. Every member of the family has a unique part to play, and everyone should know their unique part to play, this includes our children. But to allow them to rule the roost? I will say it again, when we do not follow what God has set in place, everyone drowns and Christ gets no glory!
Become a great teacher. There are five vital lessons we must impress upon our children. As we learn these for ourselves, we can pass them along to everyone around us, especially our babies. They are necessary for a truly successful life. They are mandatory for a powerful Christian life. They are required for the Abundant Life, filled to the overflow with peace and joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. Let’s talk about them next week…meanwhile, like me, I know you want to become the best parents and mentors you possibly can be, so thanks for joining me.
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
