Children: Are they REALLY an inheritance unto the Lord?

Imagine you are the proud parent of two teenage daughters. One of them is very energetic, constantly demands your attention, and getting into trouble. The other is more passive, keeps to herself, and rarely misbehaves. One day, you are running around, trying to get everything done, and realize you forgot to pick up something for dinner. You can’t find the car keys, so you grab the spare, and run out the door. Only to find that one of your daughter’s took the car to the mall. How do you react? Do you wait until your daughter gets home in order to yell at her, or do you shrug your shoulders, nonchanlantly, and choose something else to make for dinner? Or, do you wait for your daughter to get home and have a discussion about when it is ok for her to take the car, and that you already had set rules for when she would be allowed to use it?

Depending on your answer will determine what parenting style you are most likely to use. There are three, but only two were mentioned this week. Authoritarian, Passive, and Authoritative.

Authoritarian: Also known as the dictator. These parents demand that their children obey and respect them, without having to give respect in return.

Passive: These parents feel that it is better for their children to learn through doing whatever feels right to them. They tend to take a backseat approach to parenting.

Authoritative: These parents discuss rules with their children, as well as consequences, and determine together what needs to happen when misbehavior occurs. They also expect to give respect when respect is given to them.

Children are “an heritance unto the Lord” and deserve to be raised by parents who are knowledgeable and understand how to teach them to become functioning members of society. In today’s world, it is becoming more and more popular for parents to leave their children to be taught and raised by babysitters, teachers, and technology. Let us do our best so that we may one day be able to stand confidently before God, and know that we helped his child to become the best that they could be in this life.

Food for thought: If the spirits God is sending to Earth don’t come to us, where do they go?