GOOD PARENT - CONTENT CHILD
Kimberly Lawrence
Today's Scripture: “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Psalm 131:2, ESV
Theme: Parents can reflect God’s character: caring, feeding, nurturing, and allowing growth, resulting in contentment.
PERFECT PARENTING
I was the perfect parent…before I became an actual parent. You know…the “pre-child” young adult life phase where you have it all figured out? I naively thought, “When I have kids, I will never…” and “My kids will always…” Ah, the bliss of that ignorance makes me laugh 26 years later. If you’re parenting at any stage, you might be laughing, too, because like me, you now see what was ahead.
“ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE”
In short order I realized that, while love is the basis of successful parenting, it certainly doesn’t exist in isolation. I have told my children from the time they were babies, “I love you so much my heart hurts!” which has always been the absolute truth. It’s unexplainable how parents can physically FEEL the joys or sorrows of another human being. Unconditional love is the foundation of my relationship with my children, but if I love without teaching them, my children fail to become independent. If I love without disciplining them, my children never learn boundaries. If I love without allowing them to experience consequences, my children will be self-indulgent or incorrigible. Suddenly, being a “good parent” became a lot more difficult!
A ROLE MODEL
We don’t have to look very far to find a perfect parental role model. We see many parallels throughout Scripture about God’s relationship with us, His children. Psalm 103 refers to His graciousness, compassion, and steadfast love. Ephesians (6:2-3 ESV) guides us on our own child-parent relationships and offers the first promise tied to a commandment:” Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” God offers the most absolute and unconditional love, evidenced by the sacrifice of His own Son, and He is a nurturer, teacher and disciplinarian, just as earthly parents are expected to be. Rather than measuring ourselves against shifting cultural standards, contentment abounds when we model the example put forth by our heavenly Father.
Make It Personal: Whether or not you’re a parent, we can each reflect God’s perfect character by loving, caring for, feeding, and nurturing those around us. It can be difficult to watch someone we love learn hard lessons. However, allowing failure teaches (sometimes painful) lessons about resilience along the path to independence. I sometimes wish God would take the hardship out of my life, yet I also realize it can be in those times that I get to see and hear Him so clearly.
Pray: God, thank You for the perfect example of how to love You and to love others. Help me prioritize caring for and nurturing those around me, just as You have done for me. Though discipline is sometimes hard for me to tolerate, I see Your goodness at work during difficult times. Thank You for loving me without condition. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 103:8-14; Ephesians 6:2-3
Weekly Memory Verse: “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Ephesians 6:2-3, ESV