Preparation For Parenting

"Parents are the pride of their children."       Proverbs 17:6 NIV

Many of the appliances in your home come with an instruction manual.  Taking the time to read and understand it can save you all sorts of trouble.  And God has given us the ultimate instruction manual for raising children--the Bible.  It says, "Parents are the pride of their children."  No calling is higher than that of becoming a parent.  It involves the most significant and life-changing decision you will ever make.  Therefore, you should make it with serious consideration, prayer, and a sense of humor, and it can turn into one of the greatest joys in your life.  Your children need you to establish boundaries for them and safeguard them from harm.  You need to conduct yourself as their spiritual and moral compass.  Today children are being inundated with television shows, advertisements, music, video games, the internet, and magazines full of images of materialism, cruelty, sex, and drug and alcohol abuse.  And a lot of the negativity they see is admired and celebrated.  So much so that even possessing a strong moral center, they may start to feel like something is wrong with them if they don't follow along.  As a parent, your job is to reinforce your beliefs again and again while equipping your children with the tools they need to withstand the pressures of life.  It's a lifetime commitment.  In a sense, you will be on call every day, all day, for the remainder of your life.  And since God is called "our Father," He understands what you're up against and will help you when you turn to Him in prayer.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today