[Keep Walking] The Perseverance of ParentingSample

The Importance Of Our Words 

It is normal for parents to feel guilt. You might know things now that you did not know before when your children were younger. There might be a few things you wish you had done differently. But let me remind you that you did the best you could. Let the grace of God and His love as Father wash over your heart. Ask for forgiveness where you need to ask for forgiveness. Trust in the Lord deeper where you need to trust in the Lord deeper. And make it right where you can make it right. There are no perfect parents. If there were, we would not need Jesus. The truth is we need Him more than ever. 

As parents, the words we speak to our children are really important. Words can build up or tear down. We talked about repeating words to our children and teaching them God’s principles. There are many things we have experienced that our children have not so it is important that we talk to them about those things to protect them. That’s what the Bible teaches. “Your children didn’t see how the Lord cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here. They didn’t see what he did to Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, a descendant of Reuben) when the earth opened its mouth in the Israelite camp and swallowed them, along with their households and tents and every living thing that belonged to them. But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!... Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up,” Deuteronomy 11:5-7, 19.

God talked about Jesus in a beautiful way in Matthew 3:17, “And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him.” These were words of encouragement God spoke about His own Son, Jesus. God, the Father, was modeling this for us parents. In saying these words about His own Son, He was teaching us to do the same. 

Maybe it is hard for you to say words of encouragement to your children. Maybe you never heard words of encouragement yourself. That is why we have God the Father modeling these things for us to copy. Everyone needs to hear words of encouragement—every kid and every adult. 

Here are a few things you can say to your children today: I love you, I am proud of you, and you are good at fill-in-the-blank. Whenever we feel we are failing and feel tired, we can ask God the Father for help. He will walk with us, help us, and strengthen us as the great Father He is. 

For more information regarding this devotional please follow this link: https://houstonsfirst.org/message/the-perseverance-of-parenting