You And Me Forever: Marriage In Light Of EternityShembull

"Fear" Fear undermines much of what God calls us to do in every area of life. As a parent, you may be afraid that your children won’t love you in return. Maybe you’re afraid that your children will be hurt if you involve them in reaching out and serving. You may be afraid of your children growing up to be rebellious or godless. But as terrifying as parenting can be, we can’t parent out of fear. When Paul wrote to instruct Timothy regarding his ministry, he called him to “fan into flame the gift of God.” Timothy was afraid of pursuing God’s calling to the fullest extent. So Paul reminded him, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:6–7). As a parent, it’s difficult to see our children struggle. We’d prefer to shield them from the trials of life. So intentionally placing our children in the path of mockery, persecution, and self-denial does not come naturally. But we need to be reminded of James’ words that trials should be a cause for rejoicing because they produce character and make us into mature people who lack nothing (James 1:2–4). We need to believe this for ourselves, and we need to believe it for our children as well. If we want them to become mature adults, shielding our children from God’s mission and keeping them from all potential trials is the worst possible approach. Discuss with your spouse: Does fear lead you to be overprotective of your kids? What are the right kinds of risks and dangers that could be healthy to expose them to?