The ministry of parenting...
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
As parents, I'm not sure we always think of parenting as a ministry. It's easy for it to become motions instead of ministry. When I first became a parent, I had a difficult time with this. I wanted the perfect home, perfect marriage, perfect child, etc. I wanted everything so-so. I wanted the kitchen to be very clean, so that meant no help from Hunter with baking or cooking. Too messy...I wanted him to be perfect, so that meant a lot of expectations that were unfulfilled by him. That led to a lot of yelling on my part. I was always irritable and that didn't always have to do with Hunter. But, I did yell at him a lot and would wait until he cried to stop. I know...that's horrible. I'm just telling you where I was. I'm no longer there....
God has changed me into a ministering parent instead of a mechanical one. I remember laying awake at night crying myself to sleep begging God to help me not yell and change my heart to become soft. Night after night I would do this. A long time went by and nothing seemed to changed. I wanted it so bad. God had to take me to the root of my problem, which wasn't the yelling, but the desire for ungodly perfection. He had to show me the root of my sin before I was able to be free from the bondage I was in and was putting my family in. Once I realized that I couldn't earn God's favor and that everything didn't have to be perfect...I was free. I stopped yelling. I stopped being hurtful. I started being soft. I started being loving. And it has been a lasting change. Praise God!
I now have meaningful conversations with Hunter. I can teach him life in a soft, calm way, loving way. My household is calmer and happier now that I have allowed God to show me who I really was. Homeschooling isn't a frustrating time now that I don't expect Hunter to be perfect and know every answer. I have been able to dig into God's word and see grace and understand it properly now. I can minister to Hunter and teach him the ways of the Lord in truth. I minister to him by spending time with him in the kitchen and allowing him to be messy. I minister to him by not being afraid to let him do things on his own, like cooking all by himself. I minister to him by not getting angry when he comes in the house full of mud. Now, I just smile and enjoy seeing him just be a boy. :)
We train up our children by giving them godly principles to live by, not by giving them rules based on what other people think we should live by or how we think they should be. Only God's principles are what they need to become strong, loving, caring, competent, holy, servants.
Parenting is a ministry...how is your ministry going? Does it need tweaked? Does it need reevaluated? Can it be improved upon or is it just where it needs to be? God wants this ministry to be full and honoring to Him....I still have improvements to make. :)
As parents, I'm not sure we always think of parenting as a ministry. It's easy for it to become motions instead of ministry. When I first became a parent, I had a difficult time with this. I wanted the perfect home, perfect marriage, perfect child, etc. I wanted everything so-so. I wanted the kitchen to be very clean, so that meant no help from Hunter with baking or cooking. Too messy...I wanted him to be perfect, so that meant a lot of expectations that were unfulfilled by him. That led to a lot of yelling on my part. I was always irritable and that didn't always have to do with Hunter. But, I did yell at him a lot and would wait until he cried to stop. I know...that's horrible. I'm just telling you where I was. I'm no longer there....
God has changed me into a ministering parent instead of a mechanical one. I remember laying awake at night crying myself to sleep begging God to help me not yell and change my heart to become soft. Night after night I would do this. A long time went by and nothing seemed to changed. I wanted it so bad. God had to take me to the root of my problem, which wasn't the yelling, but the desire for ungodly perfection. He had to show me the root of my sin before I was able to be free from the bondage I was in and was putting my family in. Once I realized that I couldn't earn God's favor and that everything didn't have to be perfect...I was free. I stopped yelling. I stopped being hurtful. I started being soft. I started being loving. And it has been a lasting change. Praise God!
I now have meaningful conversations with Hunter. I can teach him life in a soft, calm way, loving way. My household is calmer and happier now that I have allowed God to show me who I really was. Homeschooling isn't a frustrating time now that I don't expect Hunter to be perfect and know every answer. I have been able to dig into God's word and see grace and understand it properly now. I can minister to Hunter and teach him the ways of the Lord in truth. I minister to him by spending time with him in the kitchen and allowing him to be messy. I minister to him by not being afraid to let him do things on his own, like cooking all by himself. I minister to him by not getting angry when he comes in the house full of mud. Now, I just smile and enjoy seeing him just be a boy. :)
We train up our children by giving them godly principles to live by, not by giving them rules based on what other people think we should live by or how we think they should be. Only God's principles are what they need to become strong, loving, caring, competent, holy, servants.
Parenting is a ministry...how is your ministry going? Does it need tweaked? Does it need reevaluated? Can it be improved upon or is it just where it needs to be? God wants this ministry to be full and honoring to Him....I still have improvements to make. :)
We like to tell our Youngun that she needs to be concerned with God's law, not man's law. That is the biggest reason we pulled her from public schoo. Well one of many reasons.....All of God's laws are moral and just and should be followed, but too many of man's laws aren't moral or just or right! We concern ourselves with God not man and it's a good way to be! :) Hope you are feeling good today, you've been in my prayers!
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