Parenting

Most parents have heard the statement, "Children don't come with instruction manuals." Well, I for one, sure wish they did!

The Bible contains everything I need to be the parent God calls me to be. I just haven't accessed it or relied on it as I should have been all this time.

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death. Proverbs 23:13-14


Save their souls from death...that is a powerful thought. As a mother, I have a huge responsibility according to this verse! It caused me to question my motives for discipline and correction.


Do I discipline out of anger and lack of patience, or because I want to raise them to please God and bring them to the feet of Jesus? Do I correct them out of embarrassment and annoyance, or because I want to bring them into a submissive relationship with the Lord? Do I discipline out of my need/desire for control, or to encourage them to be obedient disciples of God?

I'll be honest, more often than not, I discipline out of anger. I frequently lose my patience and feel annoyed by my children. I am inconsistent. I do not require instant obedience. I let too much slide. It is not uncommon for un-encouraging words to fly out of my mouth, even a choice curse word now and then. This is not discipline or correction, this is punishment.


Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death. Proverbs 19:18


Discipline is a result of love and offers hope. Punishment offers no hope to my children. I only have so many years to impact them and gain their hearts. I want that impact to be positive and have eternal benefits!!


Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6


I never thought about the fact that if my children receive no discipline, or even inconsistent discipline, when they grow up they will struggle with disciplining themselves as adults. They will struggle with submitting to authority and ultimately with submission to God.


He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. Proverbs 13:24


I must never forget that my children (as precious and adorable as they may be) are sinners from the very start, exactly like me. Just because we are raising them in a loving, Christian home does not guarantee anything.


Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, the rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 22:15


Each one of my children are gifts from God. I am a steward of them and I only have authority over them because God has given them to me. I must submit to His authority when it comes to raising my children.


Sons are a heritage from the Lord; children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3


Thankfully I serve a God of grace and mercy because I've had it wrong all these years. I allow my emotions to control me. I lash out at them. I nag and provoke. I am inconsistent. Honestly, I can be a bit of a tyrant sometimes. That is not Biblical discipline.


Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Biblical parenting is hard work. It takes effort. It causes me to be on my knees more than anything else. And the way I pray for my children has changed. I must set a different example. Error and failure are guaranteed, but that will allow me plenty of opportunities to model repentance to my children - apologize when I'm wrong and ask forgiveness. I must stop being a hypocrite and expecting my children to "do as I say, not as I do."

This is the book that transformed my understanding of Biblical parenting. It contains much truth and was a wake-up call for me as a Christian parent!