I Can Do It!

I am sure that most parents remember the daunting task of teaching their children how to tie their own shoes.

Inevitably there comes a time when the child will say,  " I can do it my self!" The wise parent will back off and allow his/her child to attempt to master the feat of knot tying. It is only when the child admits their inability that the parent can truly help them. 

How many times have we,  like children,  told God "I can do this!" Maybe not consciously,  but we try to live the Christian life in our own strength. Someone once said,  "The Christian life is not hard, its impossible!" 

By that they were saying,  it is impossible in our own strength.  If you are having difficulty living the Christian life,  maybe this will help.  Stop struggling and try trusting.  

Jesus told us that without Him we cannot do anytime. 

Hand-Me-Downs

If you grew up with older siblings, you know the term "hand-me-down." When your older brother out grew his bicycle, he would get a new one and you got his old bike. Dad would buy a new car and if you were of driving age, you might get his older car. Many things get handed down: clothes, toys, a family heirloom, jewelry, etc.

But the most important thing that you could (and should) hand down is your faith. "That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you!" 2 Timothy 1:5 The Message. 

Many parents have misinterpreted Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I have heard parents say about their wayward children, "They know what is right. I raised them in church." I guess they think that by "exposing" their children to religion somehow they will soak it in.

'Train up' is the Arabic image is of a mother preparing date jam which is gently rubbed on the gums of a newborn baby, thereby enhancing the infant's appetite for and ability to digest succulentt condiments. [Grace Theological Journal] By introducing a baby to new foods, they will acquire a test for them.

When parents try to get their child to try a new food, they will often tell them, "Taste it, you will like it." Psalms 34:8 tells us "Taste and see that the Lord is good;..." Our personal walk with God should be so dynamic, so fulfilling that our children will naturally desire to have the same experience.

Punishment vs. Discipline

If you love somebody, you're going to care enough to correct that personOne of the biggest challenges of parenting is the disciplining of children. This is often a place of contention between spouses.  There are no perfect children [sorry folks.] They need discipline, accountability, and training. Just as God disciplines us because he loves us, we should do the same for our children. Sometimes we get punishment and discipline confused. They are not the same. While God does discipline us as Christ-followers, He never punishes us. Christ took our punishment with Him to the Cross. There's a big difference between punishment and sin.

• The purpose of punishment is to inflict penalty. The purpose of discipline is to promote growth.
• The focus of punishment is on the past — what you've done wrong. The focus of discipline is on the future — what you can be.
•  The attitude behind punishment is anger. The attitude behind discipline is love.

I must confess, much of my early parenting was more punishment than discipline. I remember one time that I got down on my knees (to get eye-to-eye) to my four year-old son and asked him to forgive me for spanking him in anger. He needed disciplined but I gave him punishment. 

In fact, when you correct in anger, it always producers one thing: resentment. What God says to do is to correct while looking toward the future, making sure the mistake won’t be repeated. Focusing on the future is redemptive, not destructive.

"Correct your children while there is still hope; do not let them destroy themselves.” (Proverbs 19:18 NCV)