A Parent’s Greatest Joy, Part 2
As I was writing, “A Parent’s Greatest Joy“, I had much more to say than what I allowed myself to write. The article was getting lengthy, and I made a conscious decision to focus on parental responsibility. I wanted to encourage parents to take be proactive in their child’s spiritual development. In today’s society we have to raise our children with an inside-out approach, according to Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families.
Mr. Covey writes, “In the past, it was easier to successfully raise a family ‘outside-in,’ because society was an ally, a resource (pg 15).” He goes on to explain that our society used to be filled with role models, family-friendly laws, and media that supported the family unit. He continues, “But the jet stream has changed–dramatically. And to ‘go with the flow’ today is family-fatal!”
It seems to me that our society is told to be tolerant to all, but people seem to mean everything but Christianity. Sometimes I feel that Christians, God, and basic tenets of the Bible are under constant attack, which means that parent’s have to be diligent and counter the culture in which we live. This was the purpose of the first article.
Ezekiel describes Lucifer in Chapter 28:12-19. God created Satan with “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” Reading the rest of his description is mind-boggling. But yet despite how beautiful and wise God made Satan, God gave him free will. Satan chose to rebel.
In the same way as parents we can teach our children as instructed by God. We can do everything in our power to “bring them up in the nuture and the admontion of the Lord”(Ephesians 6:4). But we need to recognize that sometimes despite our best efforts, our children will choose to fall away. They will choose to reject God. They will chose to follow the world. God gave them that right: the right to freely choose.
It is sad. It is hard. The parents feel a deep emptiness. Many times they blame themselves. And, it certainly does not help when others blame the parents, too. At some point, a child becomes responsible for his/herself. We cannot choose for them just as God could not choose for His creations.
If this happens to you, don’t give up hope. God is a God of miracles and love. He is able “to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). My mantra is “God is in control.” Pray for your child. Ask for strength and peace for yourself. Know that as a parent you are modeling God’s unconditional love to your children. Study so that you will be able to answer any questions your children might have with scripture. Be comforted with the fact that God is not done with you, and He is not done with your children either. You never know, you might still know a parent’s greatest joy.
My wise husband describes the world like a river: If you don’t keep swimming upstream by walking with the Savior, you automatically start drifting with the tide with your children in tow!