As a parent to two teenagers, I find myself in that familiar place of desperately needing God's wisdom to get this even halfway right.
I'm also in that familiar place of realizing that there isn't always a 'right' way to do things, and anyway, even if one could parent perfectly, there is still the whole free will thing. I mean, God was THE perfect parent, and look at us. Parenting well doesn't necessarily mean they turn out the way you want.
(But we've still got to try, right?)
So, as I seek wisdom on this parenting journey, panting after it like a desert-starved animal, it doesn't surprise me that I find some instruction in the book of Philippians - a book that has nothing to do with parenting, and which was not even written by a parent.
(God can use a whole lot of things for a whole lot of things, am I right?)
Two things caught my attention in chapter two:
1) there's a big theme throughout the Bible about how we and our children can get and keep wisdom. (Oh, how I hope they'll make wisdom their best friend as they grow up!). It's evident in something Paul says and something he does. And it's something we can do and say too.
2) the fruitfulness of our parenting efforts won't be fully known until "the day of Christ's return", which means if I'm lamenting the lack of results already, or even just worrying about what result will come in the next five years, I'm reacting waaaay too soon, and need to let the seed grow.
Come on in. Let's dig into the word together and I'll show you what I mean.
I'm also in that familiar place of realizing that there isn't always a 'right' way to do things, and anyway, even if one could parent perfectly, there is still the whole free will thing. I mean, God was THE perfect parent, and look at us. Parenting well doesn't necessarily mean they turn out the way you want.
(But we've still got to try, right?)
So, as I seek wisdom on this parenting journey, panting after it like a desert-starved animal, it doesn't surprise me that I find some instruction in the book of Philippians - a book that has nothing to do with parenting, and which was not even written by a parent.
(God can use a whole lot of things for a whole lot of things, am I right?)
Two things caught my attention in chapter two:
1) there's a big theme throughout the Bible about how we and our children can get and keep wisdom. (Oh, how I hope they'll make wisdom their best friend as they grow up!). It's evident in something Paul says and something he does. And it's something we can do and say too.
2) the fruitfulness of our parenting efforts won't be fully known until "the day of Christ's return", which means if I'm lamenting the lack of results already, or even just worrying about what result will come in the next five years, I'm reacting waaaay too soon, and need to let the seed grow.
Come on in. Let's dig into the word together and I'll show you what I mean.
