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| Wednesday, March 05, 2008 |
| Parenting with Love: The Ultimate Example |
Parenting is one of the hardest tasks imaginable. It is also one our biggest responsibilities. How we parent can determine what the next generation will be like. There are many parenting issues, many things that seem to walk the line. Many questions seem to arise and in two parent homes, there is always a difference of opinion somewhere in the parenting years. How strict should I/we be? What should we let slide? What are the absolutes? How do we discipline? What methods should we use for each individual child (believe me, we have a multitude around here because every child is different)?
The very first verses I read today in Ephesians 5 talk about how we should model ourselves after God just as a child models himself after his parents.
"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that."
Whew! That gets to me. I am constantly in the parenting learning process. Yes, I am a veteran with much experience, but I am ever having to keep learning as my children grow and go through different stages. Love is often seen as mushy gushy feelings. Yes, that can be a part of love. However, love can come in many forms- from a warm cuddle when a child is sick to a privilege revoked for disobedience to an ice cream treat after a tough day at school to just plain saying "no" for the good of the child.
God loves us so much that He sent Christ to die for us. That truly is extravagant love. He loves us enough to not give us everything we want all of the time, but to teach us dependence on Him much of the time. He loves us enough to have sent the Comforter to help us in times of distress and pain. He loves us enough to discipline us through natural consequences when we sin. His love is the most pure and unadulterated kind. I, for one, am grateful for His marvelous love that He pours out on us and what it teaches me about how I should love and live. |
posted by 6blessings @ 7:16 AM  |
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