Do you consider yourself a good parent? The responsibilities of parenting can seem never ending. Most families have little time between homework, sports, doctors’ appointments, laundry, the list goes on and on. How can a parent tell if they’re doing a great job raising their kids? Most of us work extremely hard not to neglect or overlook the needs of our children. We pay attention to their surroundings to ensure their safety, we pay attention to their grades to ensure their education, we pay attention to their wellness to ensure their health, and as parents, we even make our children bathe and brush their teeth to ensure their hygiene. The point is that our children do not raise themselves. It takes parents being watchful.
I want to encourage you in your parenting. As good parents, if you pay close attention to safety, education, health, and even their hygiene, then how much more should you pay attention to their soul? Because like us, our children are created in the image of God, and like us, their soul is eternal. As parents we would never neglect their most basic needs. Why would we neglect their most important need–the need to know, love, and follow God? Deuteronomy 6:7 instructs us to teach our children about God. It teaches that God should be in the daily rhythm and daily routine of our lives. Is God part of your family’s life?
Some parents believe they should allow their children to choose for themselves what they think and feel about God, but is this wise? Do we allow our children to choose for themselves if they will attend school or eat healthily? Do we allow our children to choose if they brush their teeth? The point is not strict rules, but to lovingly guide your kids toward the things of God and ultimately toward the things that are eternal, like their soul. What a shame it would be to ensure our kids’ physical safety and yet their souls face a Christless eternity.
For parents who do choose to be watchful over their kids’ spiritual needs, here is a great promise from God’s Word for parents, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13).
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