OK, I am back. Now I want to talk about what I learned, about what the bible has to say to parents.
The things going on in society now, that are bringing down the roles of parents and children, are the issues of child led parenting and the idea that discipline will hurt the child’s psyche. The new thing these days is not saying “no” and no spanking or flicking. We are told to allow our children more freedoms and let them just have fun and be kids, even at the expense of others, including ourselves. We should take our babies in bed with us and let them stay there until they are ready to leave the family bed. Mom’s are feeling good about putting their babies first and everyone else, including husband, second, but then wondering why their children grow up to be spoiled rotten, expecting everything to be about them. People are being misled, and it’s because they aren’t looking in the bible for help, but reading books and magazines that are of the world. Some are being misled by church officials who believe they know better than the bible or that the bible isn’t necessarily God’s word anymore but just one of many resources to refer to for advice, as long as it’s convenient and works in today’s society.
I have learned in my class that EVERYTHING that we need is in the Bible. Every question can be answered in the Bible. It IS the word of God, and one of the biggest proofs is in the pudding! It’s all there. What other book has all the answers? There isn’t one. God’s word is sufficient. I love this verse, Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
So much can be pulled from this verse. The word of God is living and active. To this day, God can still speak to us through the bible. When we have a question about parenting or our childhood, the answer can be found in the bible. Because God speaks through His word, you may find a verse to mean one thing one day, and then notice something further or different (not counteractive, just fitting for a different need) the next day. That is because it is alive and active. God speaks through His word. Prayer and reading are how we have conversation with God. We talk to Him through prayer, He talks to us through scripture.
“Sharper than any double-edged sword”, is so true! When you read the word, and really pay attention and allow it to soak in, you are convicted in so many ways. He shows you all the ways you are not perfect and need to improve. He calls you to a higher standard than society gives you. It’s not an easy standard to follow. In fact it is impossible. But He wants us to strive anyway. It is amazing how good it feels to abandon the relaxed views of the world, and strive for something better. I don’t mean that we should strive to be better than everyone else, but strive to glorify God, not ourselves. It’s hard to do, but soooooo rewarding! When I strive to glorify God, I can sleep at night, with a smile on my face that I did the best I could, and I did it for the right reasons. The rest is up to God.
“it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This part is huge in parenting. We need to be working on the heart of our children, and our own heart. It’s not our actions that are being judged but the heart behind it. When a three year old breaks your favorite vase, is it sin? Probably not. My guess is he just wanted to see what it would do when it hit the ground. We need to question the motives, the heart, when we are disciplining. When I flick my child’s hand to make him remember not to play with the outlets, I have good intentions to teach him, in love, protecting him. I would of course do this only after instructing him not to do it in the first place. The flick is for disobedience, not touching the outlet. But if I spank my child because he broke my favorite vase and I am upset, that’s selfish, and wrong. That is abusive. It is our heart that God looks at. It is also our heart that our child sees. They know if you are angry or not, and they are affected greatly by that.
Unfortunately people who follow society and have kids that don’t understand “no”, and live life thinking that everything is for them, end up with difficult children, who cause them anger and strife. (Proverbs 10:1;17:25) This builds up and causes potentially abusive situations, where the parent has had enough. If discipline is abandoned in society, abuse will soon take over. Parents everywhere will become frustrated and "lose it" from time to time. Every parent "loses it", but I am talking about to the point of great physical abuse. Order will turn to chaos. The bible warns against this everywhere. (Proverbs 13:24;19:18;23:13;29:17; Hebrews 12:7)
In this class I learned that in all situations that parents bring to me for advice, there are answers to help, in the bible. However, those answers are only accepted by those who truly want to serve God. That is the key to good parenting. Wanting to serve God.
Children came from the Lord. They were a gift from the Lord. We need to treat them as such. (Genesis 33:5; 1 Samuel 1:27; Psalms 127:3) We need to follow God's rules, as these are His children, given to us. Entrusted to us. That is an honor. So how will you thank God?
No comments:
Post a Comment