August 2, 2010
Mommy Missions: The Backbone of a Christian Mom
11:13 AM | 
Posted by
Tara
Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
-Proverbs 16:3 NASB
And your plans will be established.
-Proverbs 16:3 NASB
Being committed as a Christian parent is simply the steadfast determination to raise our children based on Biblical principles for them to come to a knowledge of God and His Son and to live for His glory. Commitment to do this includes doing so in spite of hardship, outside opinion or influence, and resistance. Let’s do a little self-evaluation here. And no, sorry, it isn’t a comfortable one!
Is it easy for you to go against the grain of popular opinion or the “normal” way of doing things? Do you tend to follow the crowd or are you comfortable swimming upstream? These questions are important to ask yourself because being committed to follow sound Biblical principles in raising our children rather than the popular methods of the world around us takes some guts! Let’s face it! Being a true Christian and choosing to believe and live by the Bible is now viewed as intolerant and narrow-minded in today’s culture and is increasingly being cast aside as irrelevant and antiquated.
For example, today’s parents are told by secular sources to let their children decide what their own truth to live by is, but that goes against what the Bible directs us to do in Proverbs 22:6:
“Train up a child in the way he should go and even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
photo by Scott LiddellJohn MacArthur states in his commentary on this verse: “There is only one right way, God’s way, the way of life. Since…early training secures lifelong habits, parents must insist upon this way, teaching God’s Word and enforcing it with loving discipline consistently throughout the child’s upbringing.” (Thanks, Mr. MacArthur! I couldn’t have said it better myself!)
To do this – to insist on training our children in God’s way – definitely takes rock-solid commitment. You and I (and our children) will face peer pressure, societal pressure and ridicule. We may even get “pushback” from our own children, but our responsibility as parents is to God alone, not to peers or society. As for ridicule, Jesus warned that if we chose to follow Him, we would suffer ridicule and scorn just as He did. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will the choices be painful? Sometimes. But will it be worth it? I have to say a resounding “YES!” because you and I will be in obedience to God.
I want to clarify who is really responsible for the end result of our children’s spiritual development – GOD! We are to be obedient to train our children and raise them in the knowledge and words of God but it is God ALONE that does the work in the hearts of our children. We do our part and leave the results to God.
He has commanded us to train them; He didn’t command us to convert them. That is His part. Pray and trust Him to do it!
www.taramcclenahan.com
Twitter: @taramcclenahan
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6 comments:
Great word Tara! Recently I have experienced the "pushback" regarding Miley Cyrus. I just don't think my 5 year old is ready for her. I've received so much pushback from my own daughter and her friends and her friends' moms I was beginning to wonder if I was just being a stick in the mud on this one? Your post today made me feel better. Great great reminder!!!
Thanks Penny! Yes it can be like standing in the middle of a windstorm when we make a decision based on convictions and values. It is tough but we are responsible for what we expose our children to. Praying for you, friend!
Hi Tara, I am new to your blog and found your post fascinating, especially as a single woman who one day hopes to have children. I hear you comment above all the time: let your children decide what their own truth to live by is, and you are so right in your assessment. To me letting a child do that without inculcating a set of values and morals, cemented in God's teachings, is just a recipe for disaster. From having three nieces and a nephew I can tell you that children crave guidance and the rock solid foundation that those values and morals provide. The spiritual growth of that child is as important as their physical growth. So thank you for reinforcing my beliefs with this post. I am hoping that by training my children like this, when I have them, will give them a head start towards becoming good, law abiding citizens who follow God.
Thank you Tara! I just read your ebook on "Raising Godly Children" this morning. So it was so good to see this again. Thank you for the reminder:)
What a great post. It really is amazing how the world has flipped a 180 and now Christians are the ones who are being persecuted.
Vital encouragement!!! So glad I have Mommy bloggers who follow the truth in God's Word!
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