parenting cont.

When I think about parenting (or rather, the ideal way to parent), I am bewildered. I feel almost paralyzed to even approach the subject because of the enormous responsibility that parents have raising children. Childrearers have the most influence in their children's lives, which can be good or bad. It seems like in our culture today, more often than not, this control that parents inherit when they usher a child into the world is abused, distorted, and harmful to their children. How many people do you know that have seriously troubled families?


Of course, all of us in one way or another have imperfect families, which is logical due to the fall of humanity.


But we are children of God, which has implications on how we are now raised.


"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." (John 1:12)

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God..." (1 John 3:1)

"...that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..." (Philippians 2:15)


As members of God's family, and as God as our Father, we are being parented by Him. He disciplines us out of love, as He desires us to grown in His likeness so that we may declare His glory throughout all the earth.


"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:3-11)

It seems that this Scripture should be fundamental as we discuss the idea of parenting. We have the best, most perfect parent that exists in God! And we are being disciplined by Him out of love, raised up in righteousness for HIS sake.


As children of a perfect God, how does this relationship impact the way we parent?