Raising Children is “Discipling”
Raising children is one of the greatest responsibilities ever given to man by God. As Christians, that responsibility is even more important due to our accountability in knowing the truth of His Word. God wants us to impact to them all the principles of His Word at an early age so that “when they grow older, they will not depart from it” (Pr 22:6).
Parents have the opportunity to mold the lives of their children into the living example of a child of God. It takes consistency, discipline, patience, endurance and virtually every other God-given gift to rise to the task. It is hard work to discipline (train) children to guide and mold them into what they should become in the Lord, but the fruits are eternally rewarding, knowing that our children are strong in the values, principles, truth and love of God.
Coaches WIN gold medals too. Parents and coaches are the truly rewarded. Except their medal doesn’t hang around their neck; it’s around their HEART. They get to cherish all the potential they were believing in and paid a mighty price for.
It’s the countless hours of sacrificing and training that turn into wings of glory for the one(s) they’ve given everything to. But God made it so that there’s a greater reward in giving than in receiving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
And there is another law of God at work in parenting. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (Jn 12:24).
Parenting is the most challenging task in one’s life, because it’s a constant sacrifice and unending dying to oneself for the wellbeing of the children. But parents find their fulfilment, their joy and their life’s greatest accomplishment in their children. Their fulfilment is in the happy visage of their kids. That’s why training is “discipling”. It’s an act of forming and training a WINNER.
You can’t have a happy child without discipline. Discipline doesn’t have to be “the rod” bit it has to specify boundaries. When the child has no boundaries, he’s confused and unruly. King Solomon’s wisdom cites, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly”. While disciplining is a constant and a vigilant exercise, not disciplining a child can result in much more pain. “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil”.(Ecc 8:11).
The price of regret is always greater than the price of discipline. Parents must count the cost from the start.
Jesus was very direct about caring for and.not.”offending” children. He said, “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones”
If parents don’t make the effort to train and discipline their children, the world, the TV and the devil will. It says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb.12:6,11)
So let’s love our kids and protect them from all the evil around them.