What a great quarter! David has been plugging away at classes on Ethics, John's gospel, Preacher and His Work, Advanced Homiletics, and Old Testament 6. As for me, I've been enjoying sitting in on Gospel of John, as well as our womens' classes on the Life of Christ and Parenting. The Parenting class has been extremely intriguing to me, not having children of my own yet, and it's been giving me a lot to think about!
On the first day of class, we saw this image entitled "Bad Parenting"
on the screen captioned with the words, "BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND." How hilarious! This mother duck had no idea that her directions would end up leading her ducklings down the gutter! This perfectly captures the concept of this class - parents are entrusted with something very special: the heart of their child. It is their God-given task to mold and shape that heart to follow God, which - it's true - is done partly by example. But, as this picture so adequately explains, there is more to it than simply going along with a destination in mind and hoping they make it to there, too.
On the first day of class, we saw this image entitled "Bad Parenting"
on the screen captioned with the words, "BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND." How hilarious! This mother duck had no idea that her directions would end up leading her ducklings down the gutter! This perfectly captures the concept of this class - parents are entrusted with something very special: the heart of their child. It is their God-given task to mold and shape that heart to follow God, which - it's true - is done partly by example. But, as this picture so adequately explains, there is more to it than simply going along with a destination in mind and hoping they make it to there, too. It is vital that children be trained with the end in mind, allowing the example they see in their parents to be the proof of what their parents teach and not something ambiguous for them to somehow impliment on their own. They need to see Mom and Dad applying Biblical principles in their own lives, but they need to be trained how to do so for themselves as well.
Sometimes, it is difficult to look beyond the frustrations of the moment to the rewards brought about through persistence. While I do not yet have children of my own, I remember the challenges that came with my younger siblings in their early years (no offense, guys)! Toddlers test patience and demand such an abundance of energy and attention – it often is all a mother can do to keep her cool. And on top of meeting all of their physical needs, parents are charged with the task of instilling godly principles in their little hearts so they grow to be people who love God. There is not a day that goes by that I don't wonder how my parents managed to do so much - and while I look forward to the joys of being a mother, the challenges that come along with it are certainly daunting.
People say it all the time: "kids don't come with instruction manuals." While there is certainly not a play-by-play 3-step plan for successful parenting, the Perfect Parent did provide His formula for getting the job done right. In all of my naive dreaming, I read about Joseph’s 17-year-old conscience that drove him to flee from sin and think, "Wow! I want my teenagers to possess such character!" I read about Esther's courage in the face of intimidation and pray my daughters will also have enough faith to stand up for themselves and for others. I see young men who have grown up to be preachers of the gospel, loving husbands and fathers, and I want that for my sons.
Beginning with the end in mind means defining your child’s path and walking them through it one step at a time. It means taking them from a self-centered infant to a self-less worker in God’s kingdom by looking not only at the behavior, but at the heart that needs training. It means training them both to know God’s Word and how to apply it from an early age so that when they stop growing physically, they continue to grow spiritually.
It’s been a wonderful class and we have only two weeks of it left. I’m grateful for the time Lee Hanstein has taken to share her experience and the fruit of her study to prepare us for the blessing and responsibility of parenthood. There is a lot to look forward to!
