Raising children

At an educators’ conference, one colleague condescendingly asked another’s wife, “What is it that you do, my dear?” The husband later wrote, “My wife…shot back, ‘I’m socializing two homo sapiens into the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might be the instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia that God willed from the beginning of creation.’ Then [she] asked…sweetly, ‘And what is it that you do?’ The woman answered humbly, ‘I…I…teach sociology.’” The Bible says, “It takes wisdom to have a good family, and…understanding to make it strong” (v. 3 NCV). Wisdom is the ability to see with discernment. Understanding is the skill to respond with insight. If you succeed at everything else in life and fail at home, nothing else will matter. One author wrote, “We must fill our children with light so they can discern what’s dark…help them cultivate a life of peace so they recognize discord…educate them on what’s right so that what’s wrong has glaring contrast. We must love them so fully that they’re not trying to stave off emptiness…offer the sweet scent of truth so they can smell a lie…build their confidence in Christ so they’re not easily dismantled by others’ opinions. We must build their foundation on a rock so they [recognize] unstable ground…bring them up so it’s difficult for others to bring them down…and teach them to pray for wisdom so they realize being smart isn’t enough.” As parents, you and I may not see the return on our investment right way, but “at…the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).