If 7:14 desires to see revival. In many ways, revival begins in the home. I am about to celebrate the 1st birthday of my son and a year of fatherhood has taught me a few things about leadership in the home. Raising a child should be an intentional endeavor. It should be a labor of love. It is impossible to accidentally raise a child. With these things in mind here are a few things that I am learning that are helpful in the labor of love that is raising a child:
Whether talking about the Creator while on a walk in the neighborhood or demonstrating patience in the face of a tantrum, it is imperative that a parent put God at the center of daily life. A child must never be under the illusion that they serve a God who can be boxed in to Sunday or who is absent from the daily toils of life.
When my son is crying because I stopped him from sticking his finger in an electrical outlet or from climbing up the stairs, or from playing in his dirty diaper bin, it can be frustrating. Frustrating because he has been told over and over not to do these things. Frustrating because these things will hurt him. Frustrating because there are so many other good things that would bring him healthy pleasure and he has chosen one that will harm him. But it is in these moments of my son’s foolishness I am reminded of my own. How many times have I ignored my heavenly Father’s warnings to dabble with something that will hurt me when He has so many good things for me? My son and I are alike in that we both have a sin nature. My son is more of a reflection of me than I sometimes would care to admit. The important thing is to see what God wants to show you through your child and to follow your heavenly Father more closely as you seek to raise your own children.
It is a great blessing to see my son learn a new skill. As he grows I am reminded that it is not the physical that matters most but the spiritual. We must resist the urge to teach our children that outward achievement is more important than inward renewal. The great God that we serve desires that we worship in Spirit and in truth far more than he desires us to achieve greatness in an earthly sense. Let us take pleasure not just in the outward achievements of our children but in the inward renewal that we see through actions that reveal a heart following Christ.
