Daily Devotion

May 27, 2015

Beyond the Myths of Parenting (2)


“How blessed are you parents.”        Ps 127:5 TM

Here are another two parenting myths. (1) Good parents always produce good children. If only that were so, but it’s not! Even when you do all the right things, your children get to make their own choices in life. Cain and Abel were raised in the same home by the same parents. But Abel’s choice pleased God while Cain’s led him to commit the first recorded murder. Even model parents have no control over the choices their children ultimately make. This doesn’t mean your attempts to be a godly influence on them are wasted; not at all! It just means that when you’ve done your best you should: (a) recognize and accept your limits; (b) teach your children wisdom, allowing them to be responsible for the consequences of their decisions; (c) trust God to do what you cannot do. Some kids get the message quickly, others like the Prodigal Son take detours. But God never gives up on them—and neither should you. (2) Good parents treat all their children the same way. The Bible says, “Teach children in a way that fits their needs” (Pr 22:6 ERV). Every child is wired with a unique set of needs and abilities, and wise parents recognize and work with these characteristics. Your responsibility isn’t to try to make them the “perfect kid.” It’s to try to discover the distinctive pattern God built into each child, and work to develop that pattern in them. The reward God promises such parents is, “When they are old (detours notwithstanding!), they will not leave the right path” (v. 6 ERV).

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