Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Became ParentsSample

Our Children Are Watching Us

On day four of Creation, God made the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14-19).

God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere. Yet, when we need Him, we often look to the sky as if He lives there.

I don’t know about you, but parenting causes me to look to the sky a lot! I’m sometimes praying in these moments, “God help me. I’m not sure what to do.” At other times, I’m simply looking up out of frustration and wondering, “Now what?”

God isn’t technically “in the sky,” but He is above us. He is perfect in all of His ways. He has seen and sees everything. Following Him is our best chance of successfully making it through life…and parenting!

Interestingly, on day four of Creation, God gave us the sun, moon, and stars to light up the earth (Genesis 1:15) and to “separate the day from the night, and…for signs and for seasons and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14).

I imagine you agree—we need light to see. We need seasons and calendars (they keep us moving forward). And, we need “signs” from God. These are amazing gifts that lead us in so many important ways.

Children watch us like we watch the sky. They are watching us to see how to respond in life. This fact keeps parents on our toes!

If we’re kind, patient, loving, and forgiving, our children are more likely to behave in these same ways. That sounds great, doesn’t it?! That’s what most parents I know are striving for.

Of course, I don’t know any parents who set out wanting to raise unkind, impatient, unloving, and unforgiving children. That’s just what can happen over time if we consistently fail to show our children a better way of being.

To be a good guiding “light” in our children’s lives, we can turn to God. He made the sky and all that is within it. He made the light and is “the Light.” Wherever we look—up to the sky, in Scripture, in our hearts—we find Him there. He is ready, able, and waiting to guide us in everything we face in this life, including the challenging moments we face as parents.