You know those moments you have sometimes as a parent--when people compliment you on how cute or sweet or well-behaved your kids are? And you say "thank you," or "I know," and you feel so proud of your kids, and comfortable with your life, and you feel like you're starting to get the hang of being a parent?
Beware those moments.
I think I was starting to get a little slack in my parenting--not that I wasn't disciplining or training, but that I was only disciplining and training. I felt pleased with the results when Ella obeyed . . . and that was pretty much where I stopped.
Recently, this thing called sin has reared its ugly head in my home, and for some reason, it shocked me.
If you'd asked me, I would have said, Sure, my daughter is a sinner. So why was I so surprised when she started sinning?
I'm saddened and ashamed to say I hadn't been dealing with her heart, or preaching the gospel to her, or praying for her soul the way I should be.
Anyway, today was another one of those displays, in a very public setting. We were shopping, and I instructed Ella to do something, and she threw an unbelievable tantrum for someone so small. The kind where everyone in the store turns to stare and whispers things like "my kid would never do that," forgetting that their child did the very same thing just last week.
I could have distracted her, or pacified her, or given in to her demands. And everyone there would have viewed me as a better parent because she stopped screaming. But is that the goal? To make myself look like a good parent? Just to avoid the display of the anger and rebellion that is very clearly in her heart? I felt humiliated . . . but raising Ella is not about me.
Parents, let us persevere in prayer for our children, and continue to sow God's Word in their hearts, and be faithful to train and teach and discipline and nurture them! They need Christ!
1 comment:
This is so helpful to hear...thanks for taking the time to share friend.
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