May I share an observation with you from over 24 years of learning from the T Bar M family? It has become clear that being great parents does not necessarily guarantee great kids.
I have experienced all kinds of the following combinations: great parents with sorry kids; sorry parents with great kids; great parents with great kids (and other probable combinations), yet the encouraging factor is that parents are important “framers” of/for their children. Every parent has a vital role in framing their child’s character, yet it is God that truly captures and sustains the heart of a child.
In 1974 Harry Chapin wrote “Cat’s in The Cradle” which was also sung by Cat Stevens. This song really captures the epitome and heartbreak of a too busy parent and their young impressionable child that responds “I’m gonna be like him.” Remember when the aging father makes time to be with his son … it’s too late and he states “I hung up the phone, and it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me, my boy was just like me.” Time reveals the yield of earlier seeds planted… seeds of time, character, attitudes and passions. Here is a truth: invest today and you’ll have a return tomorrow… will it be an eternal return?
Parents, we are without excuse before God in our intentions and follow-throughs when it comes to parenting. We do have a parenting manual – the Bible. We do have tools: prayer, counsel, experiences and heart. We are to be the model, an example to our children of a practical relationship with God. Through our faithfulness and actions we bring authentic Christianity up close and personal.
No fancy seminary degrees or belabored family sermons needed, only a heart that is open and pursues to live as God would have us live. A life of dependence on God, and the consistent/ intentional pursuit of loving God and loving others Biblically by forgiving, sharing, caring, instructing, serving, and praying exhibited by you is the best Bible your kids will ever read.
Plant the seeds of the Gospel and genuine Christian living, and let God be the One who cultivates your child’s heart. There will be differing soils as seen in the Gospels and specifically in Luke 8:5-15. Let’s use the imagery of the farmer representing us, the parent. The seed is the Word of God and the soils are children’s hearts. Let’s live our lives through God’s help, as a way to allow others to see the produce God is developing. Be assured that our actions will do the speaking as exemplified in such idioms as “I would rather see a sermon than hear one” and “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words.”
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