Watching a child go through the harshness of life can be painful and almost unbearable. But we serve a God who knows what that is like given He Himself had to watch His own Son go through the harshness that this broken world has to offer.
Parenting can be a great privilege, but it can also be a tough one to handle as well. Not all moments or seasons of parenthood will be smooth sailing. I've only been a parent for few years and I can say with all my heart that I never thought that it would be this hard. Obviously, now I know how much of a responsibility it is to be a parent.
Thankfully, we don't have to do parenting on our own. When Romans 8:37 said, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us," I'm sure that parenting heartaches are included in the list of things that we can conquer through Jesus.
Here are five common parenting situations that can be tough and how Jesus helps us overcome them.
Letting them go through pain alone. It's not easy watching kids go through painful lessons on their own, but we must believe that the same God that empowers us as parents and once empowered us as kids will be the same God that will empower our children to go through the pains of life and come out of them victorious.
Giving grace when the situation calls for it. It can be hard to give discipline to our children, but it can also be as equally hard to give grace when needed. Sometimes our children need a healthy dose of mercy and grace and we as parents must learn how to give it, especially when repentance is obvious.
Allowing them to make their own decisions. Many of life's decisions cannot be made by parents for their children, and not all of our children's decisions will be the right ones. But nonetheless we should trust God even when we don't trust our children's decisions.
Releasing them into the world. Psalm 127:4 says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth." Like arrows, children must be taken out of the quiver and shot out into the world to allow them to fulfil God's call for their lives. As we release them, let us know that because God is the one who called them, He can take care of our children even better than we can.
Protecting them from our own selfishness. Sometimes, the things we say or do to our children are really not for their good but ours. We, as parents, have to admit that we are imperfect and sinful ourselves. That's why it's good to always commune with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to expose things in our hearts that do not glorify Him or bless others.
