Patient Parenting

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
Psalm 127:3-5

In the last few weeks, I have noticed the Lord has put children at the forefront of my heart.  Whether through the constant questions of: "Dad what is that?, Dad can I have that? Dad, can I sit on your lap? Dad, can you pick me up?  Dad one more time PLEASE!.." Or, may it be through one of the podcasts or sermons I might be listening to. Or the season of my life currently with a 3-year-old and a 1-and-a-half-year-old; where my house can at only a moment's notice go from looking like the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan to being full of laughter and joy to downright tears and frustrations.  

Throughout scripture, God is giving us the tools and wisdom needed on how he wants us to raise children up in his Word with love,  patience, and discipline.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Not only does He give us His Word as instruction on how to be godly parents, but He also lives through it by exemplifying it for us so we know what it looks like to have perfect love, patience, and forgiveness. God's example of what He has done for us, through the Gospel, is the essence of the perfect parent. Sacrificing one's self for the great good of his chosen children is the highest action of unselfish love. It needs to be the reminder we have of how God is the perfect Father. He has never lost his temper, never missed a game, is always there to listen, and is never short of loving us unconditionally through his Son, Jesus. We are not, and nor ever will be, perfect parents; but we have a perfect Father that we can look up to and have to guide us through the hills and valleys of raising children.  

Parenting is one of the most honorable, rewarding, and exhausting things that God has given us the opportunity to do. God has blessed us as stewards of his children, so that we may teach, nurture, and protect them in this world. What an amazing gift we have been given. The Creator of the universe has looked at you and me and decided for us to be the ones to raise the next generation. Raise your children with the intention of raising and developing your grandchildren's children. Think multi-generational, what legacy are you leaving behind in order to fulfill God's plan for your life and your family? If we are to continue to build God's Kingdom, we need to instill into our children to go and make Jesus non-ignorable. Start a family bible study, you can also have family prayer time. If you have littles ask them simple questions about who Jesus is, and what is one of the ten commandments. We all had to start somewhere and it can be as simple as what did God do for you today.

For those who are not parents yet, or are not able to have children ,there are always opportunities in Student Ministry and Children's Ministry to continue to help pour into our younger Christians. If you came to Christ later in life and were not able to bring up your children in a "Christian Home," it is never too late to live by example; bestow the transformation God has put you through and use it as your testimony for your older kids, whether they have kids of there own or not.  

I pray for our children and the next generation to continue to build God's Lingdom and go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us.  

Hope everyone has a great rest of your week, stay strong.