Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Last week my college-age daughter called me with one of the many distressing challenges of life. Now that she is far away and my influential days are decreased, has she learned from me to rely on God and trust in His constant care for her? Have I done my job well and prepared her to tap into the ultimate power source and succeed? Does she have the ego-strength to know that she is His “treasured possession?”
I remembered the classic parental directive in Scriptures “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy is bursting with the “why?” for us – that we might always prosper, that God will keep His covenant of love with us, bless us, causing us to prosper, and be free from disease, enjoy long life, (and the list goes on and on and on…) The “why?” for God is in Psalm 76, “Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.”
As parents we all see the need for our children to obey us. And now, yes, I want to be remembered, and I hope that my daughter will trust me and want to follow my lead! As I returned to that classic parental passage I was surprised to find it one sentence behind the all time classic directive: “Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” The commands God wants followed are all about love! I found myself asking “Have I lived my life in front of my children showing them that my focus was on God who is LOVE?”
Then I asked “How has God parented me?” I immediately remembered God’s coo “The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” That is exactly how God has loved me! I remember the times we’ve shared and what a delight they were. I remember the scary nights and the comfort I was able to receive from God and give to my daughter. I remember the “you can do it’s!” and words of encouragement. Yes, she knows she is loved and where it came from! That’s why she doesn’t call so often and is doing fabulously. She’s flying on the wings God has given her. And I can too!
So faithful parents – be encouraged. Just keep your eyes on the prize – God, and His love will flow through you in increasing measure, and your children will not depart from it!
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Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 6:24, Deuteronomy 7:12-15, Deuteronomy 6:2, Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Zephaniah 3:17, Proverbs 22:6.
Tags: all about love, faithful parents, loving children, Parenting
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