Parenting Lessons

Posted on Friday, December 12, 2014 · Leave a Comment



I have found center!!!! REJOICE!!!!

 You know how most issues in life are approached with a pendulum swing attitude?  You tend to lean too far in one direction, then too far in the other, and then you find that happy middle where you settle?

 In the beginning of my parenting (like I am so far along, hah!) The Lord clearly spoke to me about defiance, and that it was okay to be angry at it.  In fact, it was okay to show that anger to my kids.  In a world where I was drowning in all the "Mommy advice" to be kind (even, forbidding that anger!), I was receiving words from the Lord through His Scripture that a defiant spirit does not please the Lord.  And as a mother, it shouldn't be something that I should try not to feel.

 So, I shared that information with a few of my trusted friends, and let it go.  I tried to blog about it, but I felt like I didn't have a complete picture, and I didn't want to be misleading.  In fact, I felt that it was a "Mary moment" of sorts and that I would mostly "ponder these things in my heart".  (Christian cliche? check!)  No, but really, I sensed more to the picture.

 Recently the Lord really started speaking to me through Romans 2:4

 "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Oh my.  God's KINDNESS is meant to lead me to repentance.  And all of the ways that the Lord has been kind to me the past 9 or so years, has led me to where I am now. I felt His deep kindness continually leading me.  Isn't that what the Holy Spirit does when He convicts?  Isn't that HIS work in His Spirit: graciously and kindly leading us to repentance.

I would be acting out of a heart like the Lord's if my desire was to choose kindness toward my children when they are struggling.  

But look at the next verse...Romans 2:5

"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed."

And now it comes full circle.  

I can tell you distinct moments when The Lord has been angry with me, and I saw that in what would transpire.  I can recall when my heart was stubborn towards something He had been leading me to do, and I would reap hurt and pain in my life as a consequence.  His anger.

When my children have hard, impenitent hearts, we exercise a moment of wrath.  And we can see in Scripture that that is congruent with God's character.  

I wanted to reconcile these two parenting "places": anger and patience...and low and behold I can see in His Word that Father God feels the same.  The Word is so beautiful.  

 Parenting questions? You know where to look...to the ultimate model of parenting, Our Father in Heaven through His Word.


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