For many families in the surrounding area of our home, today is the first day of school and a reminder that our kids are still growing up, no matter how much we would like them to slow down. I know for my wife and I, we have looked forward to this day with both joy and heavy hearts. We are happy and excited for our girls and the young ladies they are growing into. We are also saddened that with every passing year they grow closer to the day that they will become women and move on into their own lives and whatever God has for them. While this moment in the future will be a great achievement, we will also miss them like all parents do during those seasons of life.
But that time is not now…at least for us and many other parents in the world, and our duties in providing and raising our kids is still just as important as it ever has been. And no matter how your parenting situation looks, God has expectations regarding our parenting and how we care for our family. The most important being that we show our families the kind of love and acceptance, that through you, they might come to know and to love Jesus Christ.
What an incredible thought, right?
And while no family is perfect, your clan IS God’s gift to you. So give thanks to Him for giving you the gift of your family and act in their best interest. No matter what your family is facing or what season of life you’re in, the rewards of raising and taking care of those closest to you, far outweigh the trials and tribulations you might face in the process.
So pray for them. Ask for God’s protection, love, and blessings on their lives…and do your best to raise them in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
“And listen, if someone is not providing for his own relatives and especially his own household, then he is denying the faith and is worse off than an unbeliever.”
