ODJ: beyond my reach
July 18, 2011
Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up (v.7).
READ: Deuteronomy 6:1-19
My husband and I are cautious when it comes to our kids. We diligently try to find the balance between having appropriate boundaries without being outright control freaks. Friends, media, and social events have become powerful means of helping our kids learn discernment and character. I noted, however, that my prayers for our 6th grader increased when she went away on a school trip for 3 days, for she was beyond my reach. It made me realize that I often think I have things under control simply because my kids are within my sight. The histories of both Judah and Israel prove that a nation that doesn’t teach the next generation the truth becomes a nation enslaved. Likewise, the training of our children isn’t something to be left for a day when we have more time or feel more capable. Without godly direction (which comes through the investment of our time and energy), our children become sheep without a shepherd (Zechariah 10:2). Instead, we need to grasp tightly the importance of repeatedly telling them “again and again” the truths found in God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:7). They won’t discover the truth found in Jesus simply by doing what we tell them to do or by remaining within the bounds of our control. They walk confidently and free when they know the One who sets them free. So as parents, we should:
• Follow Jesus and encourage our children to do the same (1 Cor. 11:1).
• Give our children room to learn from their mistakes as God disciplines
them (Hebrews 12:7-11).
• Realize God will deal individually with our children (Ezekiel 18:20, 30).
Parenting can be downright scary some days. But even when our kids are beyond our view, they’re never beyond God’s reach. —Regina Franklin
What is your greatest fear as a parent? How does God’s Word speak to your fear?
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