Terrified!

I think kids are so resilient because they are forced to face the most common fears with which we, as adults, still struggle.

For example…

·         The fear of failure paralyzes us, yet our kids fail continually as they are daily learning new skills and it brings amazing growth into their lives.

·         The fear of the unknown keeps us from moving forward, yet a child has no clue what is ahead of them and they take off running in any given direction.

·         The fear of change cripples many adults, but children embrace all the transformation that takes place in and around them.

Perhaps, when Jesus admonished his followers to be more like the children, these are some of the things he was referring to.

I didn’t find a “fear of raising children” on any of the lists but I think it falls well within the fear of failure, unknown and change! These are the constants of raising children.  And they are very REAL and APPROPRIATE fears. My kids didn’t come with a manual. I didn’t realize that they would all be so very different. I had no clue that love wouldn’t be enough and that the wisdom I needed to do it right wouldn’t show up until they were grown. I guess that isn’t very encouraging and it isn’t entirely true, however, it isn’t entirely false, either.

Most parents reading this blog want to raise their children well. In fact, most go to great lengths to see that our kids have the best tangible resources we can afford, but a stroll through any given classroom will show you that we are failing to give them the best intangible resources.  If you can touch it, we will do all we can to give it. But when it comes to the things we plant in their character, the unseen things, we seem to be falling short. The trend is to blame a corrupt politician or the media or Hollywood or a famous athlete who is not being a good role model for the failures we see in our children, but that is a cop-out! We have to take the time to shape our children, to stand up to what is wrong, to hold fast to what is true and to lay the path out for them that will guide them to Jesus.

Parents who follow Jesus must begin to realize that their journey of faith directly impacts the journey of their children. If the Word of God is of minimal importance in their life, so will it be for their children. If worship together with other believers is optional, it will be for your children. If absolute truth is not a foundation in your teaching, your kids will be determining their own truth. If the acquiring of “things” is the reason for all the extra hours you work, your kids will learn that “things” are valued more highly than time with you.

Parenting isn’t for sissies! It is HARD to do what is right for your kids. It is HARD to take a stand when all the other parents are going with the flow without regard to the end result. Maybe it would be easier if we had a greater FEAR of FAILURE. Maybe that fear would motivate us to get back on the right track.

When the disciples of Jesus were tossed by the storm at sea they were terrified, but when Jesus summoned all the power of heaven to calm the storm, they were gripped with an unspeakable, reverent fear. Raising kids is frightening, without a doubt. But, if we have a good and reverent fear of the One who will judge us for what we are investing in our kids and in our relationship with Him, perhaps the storms of parenting would be less terrifying because we would be growing in wisdom as we grow in Him.