September 03, 2009
Walking in the Truth
As a parent there is very little that can compare with knowing your children are believers. It has crossed my mind however that the spiritual burden for two children was really hard work and I’m glad I didn’t have more kids. I can’t grasp the responsibility the Apostles felt toward all their disciples...nor can I imagine their reward of joy. John says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”. (3 John 1:4 NIV)
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3 comments:
Gail;
-----I should run from today’s blog. I’ve done well in living my life in the Lord before my daughters’ eyes. But when they were young and impressionable, I did not do well in teaching them the Word, its history in the world, and its relevance to all times and to all lives. I am proud of them for who they are and how they face up to their problems. But I am ashamed that I have not instilled into them the curiosity and drive to dig into the Word for the formulation of their thinking. They have received that basis of mind only second hand through their mother and me, and I fear that is not enough. Now I am faced with how to incite them during their later teen years to realize the relevance of the Word and the need to know it. I covet any advice and ideas from anyone.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Steve,
You asked for advice and ideas on inciting your teens ‘to realize the relevance of the Word and the need to know it’. I think most of us feel unqualified to give parenting advice to others, but I do have a thought. Nothing makes us grow up faster than having children of our own and realizing we have the responsibility to ‘grow them up’. Someday your girls will have children of their own…I believe I would try to get them to think of the future and how they might raise their own children. What would they do differently? How would they help their little ones mature spiritually? Unlike boys, most girls dream of having children, but with those children come responsibility for nurturing. Your girls may not see the relevance of the Word for themselves, but they might see it if they understood they are responsible for passing it on to their children. I feel your struggle…my prayers for you.
Gail
Gail;
-----Thank you. You are near the top of the list of folks I would listen to attentively. I recognize the concept you offer. I spent my teen years sorting the influences I received from my parents, and I realized the only measuring device I could reliably count on was the Word. Although it wasn’t until my mid-twenties before I made a committed application of what I learned, it worked. And I received a double bonus. The Lord not only helped me develop more of the character I was missing, but I also discovered the blessings I had received in two wonderful mothers and a diligent father. I discovered their mistakes and mine were all the same - just unavoidable, forgivable human frailties. My appreciation of them now is greater than ever. And my understanding of the Word’s relevance has come through the real benefits of its application. I have laid a few cobbles in this road with my daughters; I’ve talked with them before about searching out the mistakes their mother and I have made and not repeating them. Now if I can muster the diligence with which my father built his life, maybe I can construct the semblance of an inviting road for my daughters to travel.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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