Stewardship of our Children
It seems lately that many things related to parenting have crossed my path. It was part of our Bible study last week, I’ve been reading the book “Educating the Wholehearted Child” by Clay and Sally Clarkson, and just today the Focus on the Family “Thriving Family” magazine arrived with articles on raising daughters and developing self esteem in our children. This has all been really great material to read - very convicting as well as encouraging.
One of the most interesting things I have read is from the Clarkson’s book. Although the book was written for those families considering home schooling, much of the beginning is filled with basic parenting principles. They began with the idea of stewardship. I think we are all familiar with this principle in regards to our time or even our money; but I had never thought about it in relation to our children. In their book Educating the Wholehearted Child, the Clarksons write, “Scripture calls you to be a good steward, or manager, of all God has entrusted to you. Your children are certainly your most valuable “possessions” in this life. God will require an account of your stewardship of your children. (Romans 12:1-2)” That was a new concept for me, but one I am glad I read. As with all things in my life, God is going to call on me to give an account one day- an account of how I raised my children. Will I receive a reward for the way I have raised them, or will my Heavenly Father be sadly disappointed in how I “managed” my children’s lives?
In The Wiersbe Bible Commentary for the New Testament, Warren Wiersbe writes about the “rights” of children. He says, “they do have rights. One of them is the right to be born. Another is the right to be born into a dedicated Christian home where they will be raised in the ‘nurture and admonition of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4). They have the right to have godly parents who will teach them the Word of God and discipline them in love.” If I am going to be a good steward and fulfill this biblical command, then I must be a student of the Word of God myself so that I can take these truths and “impress them on (my) children. (To) talk about them when (I) sit at home and when (I) walk (or drive) along the road, when (I) lie down and when (I) get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) It is not enough to take them to church or have them in a Christian school. I need to be a model myself and to take advantage of those teachable moments placed before me throughout the day.
Clay and Sally Clarkson went on to write that “you will reap in your children’s lives exactly what you sow in them as a parent. If you want to reap secure, mature adults, you must sow together the seeds of time, togetherness and training. If you want to reap a godly heritage, you must faithfully sow the seeds of godly influence. If you want to reap godly character, you must sow seeds of a good example.” It is clear then that the responsibility lies on Dennis and me to do this. Our children are our “most valuable assets. They are priceless, eternal treasures, entrusted to (us) by God - (ours) for a short time, after which (we) will present them back to God as a gift.”
Psalm 78:1-7 reads, “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old - what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commandments.”
This is my heart; I desire to instill godly principles in my children’s lives so that they can 1) find their identity and esteem in Christ; 2) reach their full potential in Christ; 3) glorify God with their lives; and 4) carry on this godly heritage in their own circle of influence.
I plan to write more on what I have been reading; but it’s homework time! It will have to wait!
One of the most interesting things I have read is from the Clarkson’s book. Although the book was written for those families considering home schooling, much of the beginning is filled with basic parenting principles. They began with the idea of stewardship. I think we are all familiar with this principle in regards to our time or even our money; but I had never thought about it in relation to our children. In their book Educating the Wholehearted Child, the Clarksons write, “Scripture calls you to be a good steward, or manager, of all God has entrusted to you. Your children are certainly your most valuable “possessions” in this life. God will require an account of your stewardship of your children. (Romans 12:1-2)” That was a new concept for me, but one I am glad I read. As with all things in my life, God is going to call on me to give an account one day- an account of how I raised my children. Will I receive a reward for the way I have raised them, or will my Heavenly Father be sadly disappointed in how I “managed” my children’s lives?
In The Wiersbe Bible Commentary for the New Testament, Warren Wiersbe writes about the “rights” of children. He says, “they do have rights. One of them is the right to be born. Another is the right to be born into a dedicated Christian home where they will be raised in the ‘nurture and admonition of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4). They have the right to have godly parents who will teach them the Word of God and discipline them in love.” If I am going to be a good steward and fulfill this biblical command, then I must be a student of the Word of God myself so that I can take these truths and “impress them on (my) children. (To) talk about them when (I) sit at home and when (I) walk (or drive) along the road, when (I) lie down and when (I) get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) It is not enough to take them to church or have them in a Christian school. I need to be a model myself and to take advantage of those teachable moments placed before me throughout the day.
Clay and Sally Clarkson went on to write that “you will reap in your children’s lives exactly what you sow in them as a parent. If you want to reap secure, mature adults, you must sow together the seeds of time, togetherness and training. If you want to reap a godly heritage, you must faithfully sow the seeds of godly influence. If you want to reap godly character, you must sow seeds of a good example.” It is clear then that the responsibility lies on Dennis and me to do this. Our children are our “most valuable assets. They are priceless, eternal treasures, entrusted to (us) by God - (ours) for a short time, after which (we) will present them back to God as a gift.”
Psalm 78:1-7 reads, “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old - what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commandments.”
This is my heart; I desire to instill godly principles in my children’s lives so that they can 1) find their identity and esteem in Christ; 2) reach their full potential in Christ; 3) glorify God with their lives; and 4) carry on this godly heritage in their own circle of influence.
I plan to write more on what I have been reading; but it’s homework time! It will have to wait!
Comments
Post a Comment