This blog has long been a mix of ministry, personal updates, and thoughts, so you all probably won’t be surprised by this, but OJ has challenged me (Suz) to write a 7 day blog series on parenting.  This is a little intimidating A) because I have children and B) because I am a parent.

A) With a 5, 3, and 1 year old, is it possible to write 7 days in a row???  I guess we shall find out.

B) You know the day you try to share “parenting wisdom” is gonna be the day your children poop their pants, throw public tantrums, and bite someone else’s child.  There is truly nothing as humbling as marriage and parenting, but since I’m in good company when I boast in my weakness (2 Cor 11:30), I guess I’ll give it a go…

Starting at the Beginning…

Like anything else that is a long-term project, parenting is a mess unless the goals or target is always within sights.  The arrow has a long way to go before it hits the bull’s eye, but it all starts with identifying the target.  So when you picked their eye color, determined their height, and chose their IQ, what did you have in mind?  Oh, right.  We didn’t do that.  Because they’re not really ours.  They’re His.  So what’s His goal?  Here’s what Mal. 2:15 says in regards to you and me, i.e. “Mom” and “Dad.”

¹⁵ Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.^[a] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. (emphasis mine)

Our kids are really His kids.  This is a word that is incredibly heavy, because it means (yes, it REALLY, REALLY does mean this) that we will stand before the Great White Throne and answer for whether or not we shot our little arrows at God’s target.  It is also incredibly freeing, because God always provides all the resources needed for what He’s ordained.  I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.  He may not have ordained our job choices, career, our ministry choices, our geographic location, etc.  That all depends on how much our lives are submitted to Him.  HOWEVER, the raising of Godly kids is FOR SURE at all times ordained by God and under His provision, if we will take hold of it.  He is FOR our marriages (once married) and FOR our children.  He will provide everything needed for this task, because it is what He’s ordained and what He’s seeking:  Godly children.

Mal. 2:15 is a treasure trove in that it points us to the very, very first starting point for raising godly kids, which is the marriage.  But that is a whole different blog series, so I’ll move on the my original point.

Setting our Sights…

Godly children (or “offspring” in other translations) can be given this NT translation:  disciples.  God is seeking for us to make disciples of our children, whole-hearted followers of Jesus.  What incredible, beautiful vision!  What a lifetime achievement!  What hope and glory!  There is nothing optional about this!  This is why He knit these little people together…He is seeking to hold them close to Himself for all eternity!  How ludicrous to parent toward  polite behavior, academic or athletic achievement, or financial stability, when we have instead this glorious target, to make disciples who bear the image of the Beautiful One?  That’s what we got saved from, wasting our lives on that which is nothing in eternity.  All those other things are things that “…the heathen chase after…,” but “…will be added unto you…” when you seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.  Mat. 6:31-34.

So what’s at the heart of being a disciple?  It’s very simple; it is submission.  This is the target we are aiming for, to present to the Lord children who are submitted to Him (this is, after all, what it means to call Him “Lord” Rom. 10:9).  This is a goal even better than obedience.  Immature, insecure, fearful people can obey, but it is the volitional response of a mature person of dignity to submit.  To obey is to do what someone wants, to submit is to want what another wants.  It is a bending of one’s will and relinquishment of agenda out of honor and love; it is beautiful and powerful.  It is Jesus’ posture toward His Father as described in Phil. 2.  This is why the Bible tells children to obey, but wives to submit.  We are, after all, preparing our children to be the Bride of Christ.  We aim the arrow by bringing them into obedience (honestly, that’s hard enough, eh?), but the target we are eyeing is that they would mature into lovers of Jesus, sharing His desires and acting on them at all times.

So what does this mean?  And why is it so doggone difficult?  It means war.  Or didn’t you know that the devil is roaming about like a lion, seeking whom (which of your children) he may devour (1Pet. 5:8)?  If you didn’t know, I hope I just scared you real good.  Because if you have children and don’t know you’re in a war to the death over their souls, there is no time to waste.

Tomorrow:  understanding the battle.

Well, hopefully tomorrow!