In my opinion, the greatest joy in life is being a parent. My wife and I have been blessed with four beautiful children. That doesn’t mean it has been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Parenting is also the most difficult job anyone will ever have, and it is fraught with challenges that have long term implications.
Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Exposes Every Weakness
The role of parenting is a challenge for every parent. It exposes every weakness and never stops demanding your time or energy. It is easy to take out your frustrations on your children, but Paul warns us against making our children angry. Some explanation is needed here. First, you are going to upset your children multiple times. This is not what this passage is talking about. It’s when we make our children resentful towards us from the constant harassment.
Precious in His Sight
Much of the abuse that goes on inside of the home is mental abuse. When we tell our children that they are stupid and will never amount to anything, it has long term damage on them. Each child is God’s creation, and they have a place in His kingdom. They may not measure up to your unrealistic expectation, but they are precious in His sight. We need to build them up so they have every opportunity to worship and serve the Lord.
The Most Difficult Job
Our role as a parent is to raise our children up in discipline and instruction of the Lord. If we refuse to discipline our child, we are being disobedient to God. A child without boundaries is a burden on the family and society. We are also to raise our children in the instruction of the Lord. That means they need to be taught the Bible and know how to apply it to their lives. We take them to church to be taught, and as parents, we model it because more is caught than taught.