Parenthood

Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost. (Proverbs 22:6)

I used to think raising kids was going to be an easy task, but even after they are grown and on their own, you are not off the hook! They come to you with problems they need help solving, and if they are fortunate enough to be raising kids themselves, they are coming to you for advice on how to tackle their present parenthood issues. While being a parent is no easy task, I wonder what it is like for God to 'parent' an entire world full of individuals bent on making their own decisions, choosing their own plans, and acting completely contrary to wisdom at times? I wonder if God is 'pointing us in the right direction' and then stands confident that we will not be lost in the end?

God certainly does a great deal 'rearing' of his kids, doesn't he? Imagine how much attention he has had to pay to your own life. Don't think about anybody else right now - just yourself. How many times has he had to redirect your course? How many times has he had to lift you up when you were down on your knees? How may times has he come alongside to encourage you to take that next step? If you are anything like me the times are too numerous to even count! God has had many an opportunity just in the past week to do all this in my own life - how about yours? God never stops 'rearing' his kids, though. He gives us direction, pours wisdom into our hearts and minds, giving us opportunity after opportunity to grow up in his grace - it never stops for him.

I am quite glad to have God doing the 'pointing'. At first, it took me a bit of up and down consistency in my daily walk to allow God to do the 'pointing' and me to do the 'leading' and 'learning'. In time, I have developed a little bit of a rhythm in this walk - God points, I take a step, he adds a bit again, I learn a bit more, and then he points again. The cycle continues all because he is a loving and caring 'parent'. I will be the first to admit I had my 'terrible twos' and 'rebellious teenager' moments in this walk with Christ, but in all those times he never stopped 'parenting' me. In fact, you might say he leaned in a little closer and watched me like a hawk! Why? He knew the dangers of those stages in my life and he wanted to keep me from those dangers.

If God watches over the sparrows with such care and even counts the very blades of grass on this green earth, how is it we would think it possible to escape his 'parenting' of our lives? I know we may want to think we are 'all grown up' in this faith-walk, but let me just assure you - God has a whole lot more parenting to do in all of us! Just sayin!