The Ultimate Responsibility
My heart has been so burdened with the topic of children and our parental responsibility of raising them. I have worked with little people's delicate hearts since I was a young teenager. My college degree was elementary education, and because of this I have seen and been in many diverse “fields” working with children.
I also have two children of my own. You can have so much experience with children, but none of that matters if you aren’t shepherding their very fragile hearts according to the Scriptures.
All too often have I witnessed how words spoken by many parents (especially out of haste) can wound a child into adulthood. Guess who will be left to deal with that wounded spirit? Usually their lifelong mate, not the parents! This is a problem!
Children’s minds and hearts are like clay, easily mold-able during those early years.
Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”
I know as parents, we concern ourselves way too much on topics like: to vaccinate or not; formula fed or breast fed; Electronics or no electronics; whole foods or processed foods; essential oils or OTC medicines. If we took HALF of the time we use to research all of those seemingly “life changing” topics, and instead used that time to shape the minds and hearts of our little ones to be more like Christ, how much better would it be?!
So with God and the Holy Spirit's help, mold those children’s hearts!
Mold them to be thankful
Mold them to kind
Mold them to be loving
Mold them to be gracious
Mold them to be patient
Mold them to be long suffering
When we are at church, sometimes my two-and-a-half-year old will act up or not listen immediately when I call him. Very well-meaning adults will throw me a look as to say “What are you gonna do about that!?” My tendency is to feel pressure to parent a certain way to appease people instead of thinking of my child and what is best for him. That pressure can come from family, church family or even from a someone at the grocery store.
Training doesn’t happen one time at church. It takes time, patience, and love. It should be done consistently and mostly privately in the home. Although there is wisdom in books and in wiser more experienced people, the ultimate responsibility for raising a child falls on the parents. My husband and I answer only to God for how we raise our children and we don’t want to just control our children by clever behavioral manipulation (how will they act when they are out from under our authority?). It truly hurts me to see parents that strive on being the best disciplinarian, but not actually focusing on the heart of the child’s issues. Nor do we want to puff our children up about how great they are. So how are we to parent instead?
It’s all about the heart. Our starting place has to be our children’s need for the Savior. We need to shepherd them to see their own depravity (yes, original sin), their inability to reform themselves, and their only hope — Jesus Christ.
My sister's and I are in the throws of motherhood with a total of nine children under 5. We are still learning. What things have your parents or yourselves done to gain the heart of your child as you are striving to point them to Christ? We'd love to know!