"No longer do my wildly fluctuating levels of fulfillment measure the worth of the whole parenting enterprise, the worth of my own parenting, or the worth of my children. The questions, "Is parenting really worth it?" and "Am I fulfilled as a parent?" are, finally, irrelevant. I ask myself instead, "Am I parenting faithfully? Am I parenting consistently? Am I honoring God as I raise my children?" This is what I am responsible for. God is responsible for the rest. Every day his sure hand is beneath my children, just as it is beneath me."
~from Parenting is Your Highest Calling and 8 Other Myths that Trap Us in Worry and Guilt by Leslie Leyland Fields
Our Wednesday night couples' small group has just started working through this book. We are only two weeks in, but the conversations it has sparked and the soul searching it has prompted have been very beneficial.
Tonight's conversation was about how much pride we have wrapped up in this endeavor of parenting...and how much humility is involved in raising up little people. I love that we serve a God who seems to always have multiple purposes to everything in our lives. So it is with parenting... Yes, He uses us to love, nurture and train up the little people He has entrusted to our care---but He also uses them, perhaps even more mightily, to teach us deep lessons about life, unconditional love, sacrifice, and our desperate need for Him.
I am so thankful that He can even use moments of 'personal failure' to work out my rough edges and teach my children about repentance, forgiveness and grace. What a mighty God we serve!
3 comments:
I'm often struck by how much I think I'm learning about myself from my kids....how much God is using them to teach me and show me things that I need to change and work on with HIM. AND how much he uses them to show me HIS love.
Amen to that! I am not a parent. But I find the same is true for teaching. My early prideful years were on "sharing what I know" with my students and "helping them understand better". It is completely the reverse, and I somehow think that God, with His twisted sense of humor (but great love), enjoys watching our roles reverse. Aren't those unknowing little hooligans our salvation indeed!
Jmom,
Our study group was working on Tedd Tripp's book, "Shepherding a child's heart." What a good book, but I think I need to look yours up too.
Thankful for Christian blogs & people sharing their journeys. :)
May our Lord continue to richly bless you.
-G
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