Foundations of Parenting
I’m only 5 years into the parenting gig and I don’t need any more years under my belt to easily see that this is by far, going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We’re all doing trial and error, doing our best to instill good in our kids while making sure we survive and don’t lose too much of ourselves.
There’s no handbook on how to do this parent thing but I firmly believe that God gives us clear instructions on how to build a foundation for our children. He doesn’t explicitly tell us how to potty train, how to handle tantrums, or deal with friend issues, or heartbreak during the teenage years but He does give us the foundation for growing our kids in their faith, showing us the boundaries we need to set, and the example we must be.
Boundaries: Let the Good Things In and Keep the Bad Things Out. I know we can’t shield our kids from the bad in the world. They’re sinful beings themselves. What we can do though, is create boundaries for what we allow in our homes and our relationships. What does that look like? That means that we create the boundaries that are not determined by the culture around us. Culture, media, and politics, they all change day by day. But our foundation is built on the Word of God that never wavers. It is set in stone. What daily routines do you have in your family? Then, what relationships does your family consider important? Who do you hang out with? What friends do you have that influence your family? We know our kids are going to see and hear the bad stuff, but the goal is that they would not be easily swayed by the world when their foundation is in Christ.
Love and Grace: It might sound weird, but I get motivated when my kids do wrong. It is the perfect opportunity to show both love and grace. Can you imagine if we yell and belittle our kids every time they do something wrong? What if we never gave them second chances? Don’t get me wrong, doing wrong often comes with consequences. But I can’t even begin to count the amount of times that God has spared me. So I take that thought process into parenting. We teach that sometimes we make bad choices. Sometimes those bad choices have consequences. Other times, we can show grace. Why? Because God shows us an abundance of grace that we are not even worthy of. When our children see us show both love and grace to them, they begin to do the same, giving grace to those around them.
Peace: This is one of my favorite ones. My children are still little, but as someone who comes from a family of anxiety, the peace that God brings is immeasurable. Whenever my daughter shows fear of something, we bring it right back to God. Is God with you always? Yes. Does He promise to never leave you or forsake you? Yes. Do you believe that God made you strong? Yes. In tense moments, in moments of fear, we bring it right back to the foundation that never wavers.
There’s so much more we could talk about. The key is foundation. As a parent, I literally play out what it’s going to be like when I get to baptize my children. I think about it often because the day that my kids make a public proclamation to accept Jesus in their hearts, is the day that I know God will be looking down on my husband and I with joy and contentment. My encouragement to you is that parenting is hard but God is stronger than our fears. He is able when we are not. They belong to Him and we’ve been given the ultimate honor of guiding them through this life.
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