This is a big topic to address in one post. So, God’s willing, for the next few weeks, I will focus on advising and encouraging young parents or soon-to-be-parents.
Parenting is a sacred call. It is hard; no question about it, but it is the most fulfilling task God has given to every parent of children. As the idea and concept of marriage between one man and one woman came directly from our Creator, God, so did family, a father, a mother and children. This is called a unit, one brick in building the Kingdom of God in this world.
As every marriage is unique, so is every family. As one brick cannot be exactly the same as another brick, the same is true between two families.
When God puts one man and one woman under a covenant, He expects those two adults to be equally responsible as to what is happening in this one unit/house, the man being the leader/the head and the main responsible partner of the two.
A man and a woman come into marriage to mainly start their own family, to bring children into this world. Who put one man and one woman together? God!
Listen:
“- – – Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:6NIV
Not only their union is done by God but also the children who are going to come from their union come from God.
Listen:
“1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127NASB
As you can read from the above passage, particularly in verse 3, children are actually gifts from God given to the one man and one woman who are united in a marriage.
Notice one important thing here: No child is a mistake! No child comes to this life by mistake! Every child is a gift of God. Children are not burdens and obstacles of life but they are gifts from God. [That means, abortion is not a birth control method but a method to kill a child who is the gift of God.]
We’ve already seen in the word of God that marriage and family are God’s ideas, not man’s. If so, how can a marriage/a family can be built in a healthy way without God? This is one of those “duh” points. God is the Author of marriage and family. If we don’t make God the center of our marriages and families, we cannot have a healthy marriage and we cannot raise a generation that fears and worships God. It is impossible to do without God’s help.
That is why the word of God says,
“1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1NASB
Only a fool starts a marriage and a family neglecting God and His word. I mean, hello, marriages and families are the creation of God, not man’s, unless of course, we want to have a marriage like everybody in this dark world, a marriage which is dead or a marriage that hurts the couple as well as their children.
Yes, as Christians, we trust in God and in His word. If we don’t know God’s word, that is another extreme foolishness on our part. How can we trust a God we don’t know? Simply put: We can’t! We may say, “We trust in God,” but our lifestyles and deeds profess otherwise. As we know God, our trust and dependence on God grows. Since God is a big God, there is no end to our knowledge and trust of God.
Paul writes:
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” Philippians 3:7-8NASB
We trust God for what?
We trust God to do what He says He will do! This is what faith is and this is what trust in God is. We know and trust God that there is life after death, a life we all are going to be held accountable to everything we did in this life. To know what God says, we need to read/study the word of God on a daily basis.
And as we read/study the word of God, we find this:
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.” Psalm 127:3-4NASB
Wow! Did you read that?
This dark world, our sin-loving & stricken flesh and the devil tell us that children are nothing but problems, obstacles which block and delay our successes and achievements. However the word of God says, “Children are a gift of the LORD!” Wow! What a contrast!
So, who do we choose to believe and trust? Our feelings and emotions, or what this dark world and the devil are saying to us? Our choice!
For Christians, trusting God is not a matter of choice. It is a lifestyle or there is no Christianity. We strive to cling to God’s word so we trust God in everything we do, including raising our children.
And according to the word of God, when we receive this precious gift from God, children, we know that we have a beautiful and major mission/responsibility to fulfill, God being on our side, for the glory of God.
What is that mission?
To raise people who know, love, fear and worship God. As we lead and guide our children in this path, we actually have a privilege to disciple our own children in the word of God for the glory of God. Do you know what we are doing when we disciple our children?
We “receive” from God [children] “aluminum, fiberglass, graphite, or carbon fiber, flint or bone or horn, bronze, or hardwood, steel, feathers or plastic” Why? So, we use these materials to make “arrows.”
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.” Psalm 127:3-4NASB
Let me tell you something: Arrows won’t grow on trees. Arrows are made from different materials (considering also the ancient time arrows). Making arrows takes time, energy and it needs focus and attention. Arrows cannot be made by accident.
Furthermore, we don’t just make arrows for decoration purposes. No! We make arrows to aim at the target and hit right at the target. What is that target? What else other than raising our children to know, love, treasure, obey, and fear God, all for the glory of God.
May God help and strengthen all young parents! ///