Our Father God is using the comparison between human fathers who discipline their sons and His own discipline with everyone He accepts as a son. The first part shows us the importance of discipline in our children?s life.
Also God said that after being disciplined, children must respect their fathers for it; what?s more, there is a very important aspect regarding discipline: the attitude of the heart, submission. As parents we need to, we must, watch over the attitude of our children.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”. (Proverbs 4:23) Now, when children are too small, to be able to guard their heart, this will be our responsibility as parents. We are in charge to know our child?s heart and to guard it before they will be mature enough. The root of all sins comes from the heart.
Therefore, the attitude of our children is far more important that their deeds. We as parents can see their attitude when something wrong happens whether it was a good one or not. We will not apply discipline when the attitude of their hearts was a good one. But when their actions were done with a bad attitude, we must let him/her understand where they were wrong and pray with them but we should not omit discipline this time.
As we know very well, our children are our prototype, and will copy our attitude. As soon as I became a parent I had to deal with my attitude and a very important ingredient in our attitude when parenting is joy. Without it we are just making efforts without satisfaction. Our attitude crowned with love and joy will flow as springs of energy in our families.
The intentions of our children show their character better than their deeds. That?s why they must be evaluated as we are judged by God ? by the attitude of the heart.
But do we have time to see their attitude? Do we have time to watch and guide our children?s heart attitude? Someone once said that if you have duties outside the family keeping you busy and stopping from raising your children as you should, than give all those extra duties back to the devil.
Raising our children involves a spiritual battle to their soul level and when we realize that, do we still have something more important than that to care about?
As parents, we have our own experience regarding the importance of having children, this precious heritage from the Lord and along with it, the responsibility that involves. By the grace of God we were blessed with a second son, and ever since we knew that another baby is coming we started praying for him. The baby came, a beautiful baby boy, his brother was very happy to see him, we were so proud of him everybody was happy, but as we live in a battle, the struggles just began.
I have two sons, a great husband and a good job, apparently a perfect life! I wanted them all, to be a wife a mother and also to keep the good job I had. Soon I started working part-time. But the part-time slowly transformed into full time as I had to stay longer and longer at work until I realized I had no time for my husband, for my kids and for the other responsibilities in the family.
We were working in shifts my husband was at work in the mornings and that time I was with the kids at home, when he came home I was leaving for work till late at night so it was his turn with the children. We had no time to talk.
But we have a great Father that took care of everything even if at first sight it was painful; he said “stop” to what was wrong in our family life. He saw the danger we were in, and began the discipline; took away my job and gave me time for what is the most important in life; I was now having a new perspective about life. My Father let me know what my responsibilities were and made me understand that nothing is more important than our children?s everlasting life. Thank you dear Lord for taking care of this and may Your will be done to each family on this earth who wants you to be their guide!
It was a great lesson for me. Blessed be the Lord!
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