PARENTHOOD, a CHALLENGE - the BIBLE, a GUIDESýnishorn

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT): Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it

Proverbs 22:15 (NLT): A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.

Ephesians 6:4 (NLT): Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:13 (NLT): I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.

If God has given you the joy of having children, you have been entrusted with one of the most extraordinary responsibilities a human being can experience in a lifetime: passing on Gospel values to the souls entrusted to you!

You are in charge of their education, but you are not alone. Christ is at your side. He has chosen to trust you. He has not made anymistakes! God left us His Word and presence to accompany us on this path strewn with pitfalls! He has also placed other families of faith around you as models and resources.

The Bible is the best, surest, and most tried-and-tested guide to successful parenting. Many verses are lanterns on your path to help you find your way in this complex task, where mistakes are quickly made!

We do not own our children. They belong solely to their Creator. They are entrusted to us for a time only. They are not here to achieve what we could not. We must not seek to realize ourselves vicariously through their lives. Nor do we raise them to remain with us or in our service for the rest of their lives. We must educate them so they can fly away in the best possible conditions as balanced adults, responsible for their own choices.

Agree on the methods you want to use with your children regarding the consequences of their choices, even before they come to life. If they discover that you do not see eye-to-eye on this (or any other) issue, they will be quick to use that difference of opinion to their advantage, even before they even know how to speak!

Proverbs 22:15 tells us a disturbing truth: foolishness, not wisdom, is bound up in our children's hearts. This is hard to accept. They are our children, and we love them! They are so cute. The Bible simply warns us that their nature, like ours, is not spontaneously oriented towards good but towards evil. Our role is always to keep this in mind to give them reassuring and protective boundaries within which to choose between good and evil.