Children

Light and darkness are not opposing forces. Dark is simply the absence of light. When light enters, darkness is dispelled. There was a time when we lived in spiritual darkness. That’s all we knew. It was natural and normal. Then we met the Light of the world. He dispelled the spiritual darkness that saturated our hearts. Jesus “called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul says we are “children of the light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Jesus says it this way.

Sometimes, the fear of failure causes us to freeze. We simply can’t make a decision for fear it will be the wrong one. And sometimes, the fear of failure causes us to take matters into our own hands. No time to wait for God. After all, it’s your job, your career, your marriage, your children. You know what’s best. You say, “I will not fail! Here’s what I must do!” Fear makes us unpredictable. Sometimes, we fight; sometimes, we freeze. That’s what happened to a man named King Saul.

When I was in the third grade, each week, we would bring something special to school that we wanted to share with our class. It was usually on a Friday afternoon when Mrs. Steichen would say, “Alright, boys and girls, it’s time for show and tell.” Granted, it was early elementary, so our presentations were not earthshaking, but it was fun to bring a cool gadget and “ooh” and “ahh” over the things that were shared. In our class, Rick always had the most fascinating and awesome items to display. Show and tell…you know, that’s not just a game for children.

Strong and courageous. That is the call on every Christian parent. We need to stand firm and resolute in forming the hearts and minds of our children. If we don’t, there are plenty of people standing in a long line who want to control the next generation. Check out today’s passage.

Many Christian homes are filled with books on parenting. The books address everything from discipline to college decisions. Most of the books are good as far as they go, but there is one Book that must be on the top of the pile. Honestly, we would be better served if we would put down all the other books and pick up “The Book”.

“It’s time to grow up and get serious about your walk with Christ.” Those are the words that parenting shouts at us. It’s no longer just about you (it never was!). Every parent takes on a heavy responsibility, and with that should come humility. Our gut churns with a farrago of emotions that range from excitement to downright fear. Every parent can relate to Joshua’s feelings in the opening chapter of this book.

God makes his light to shine on us. I love the concept, but what does that mean? We have been using Psalm 118 this week as a guide for praying for our children. So, let’s wrap up our time by asking God to shine his light on them. Our prayer will explain what this powerful truth means.

What does success look like? What does God’s success look like? There are often two different answers to those questions. Our success doesn’t always look like God’s success. But his “win” is the only success that matters.

Do you ever feel like you are being pushed hard? Feel like you are falling? Happens to us all and to our children. This week we are using Psalm 118 as a guide to praying for our children (and grandchildren). Today’s verses speak to the real-life experience of being pushed hard.