The One with Godly Parenting

Hope the title didn't scare you off already. Hang in there. If you've read my blog before, it's me in a nutshell. I don't try to fancy things up. I share my reality with you, which usually involves poop in some form. So I'll say right off the bat, I'm trying to be a Godly parent, but I'm falling short. 

(I found this awesome quote/pic on this blog. Love. Although I'm not sure I 100% agree. I believe it's very much my responsibility to teach my children the way of God, yet it's not my responsibility to change their heart.  Only God can truly change them inwardly.)

I want my children to have a tiny baby concept of God, even at this age. I believe it's important to plant seeds of truth in our kids early on. If you're not a Christian reading this, you may see this as some sort of early "brainwashing". It's not. It's just teaching my children early on about what's important to me. You might teach your kids at a young age about sports, manners, or whatever else is a priority to you. 

In the beginning of our lives, our parents are the only thing we know. The only concepts and beliefs we form are initially shaped by our parents. (Of course, once we are exposed to other people/truths/things, these concepts can change.) Ideally though, our children will learn the truth of the Gospel early on. 

So ironically, as I set goals and concepts for my children to understand and live out, I am actually working on myself. Trying to be a Godly parent. And what do I mean by Godly parent? Well, I guess I mean displaying the practical characteristics of God to my children. Here goes...

God is patient. 

If I'm impatient and harsh with my child, I'm teaching them the concept that God is impatient and harsh. 

This is something that I really internally struggle with. I try to put on a good face on the outside.  I might even be acting patient with my kids. Inside I may be flipping out. But in 1 Timothy the Bible says that God displays his unlimited patience to those who believe in Him. Wow. My patience is definitely limited. 

God is love.

If I don't love my child, they will have difficulty relating to God's love. 

This is a bit easier of a task to display. We all love our children. But I need to remember to show love to my children with my actions, not solely by saying, "I love you." We need to be generous with our children, connect with our children, bless them, comfort them, nurture them, provide them security, and so much more. 

God is Just, Merciful, and Full of Grace.

If I don't teach my children these things, they will have a hard time understanding that God is just, fair, and full of grace.  

Here are some practical definitions and examples in real life scenarios:

Justice-getting what we deserve (a punishment for drawing on the wall)

Mercy-not getting what we deserve (just a warning for drawing on the wall)

Grace-getting what we don't deserve (I deserve a punishment for drawing on the wall, but not only do I get a just warning, I get hugs and snuggles and ice cream)

There is a time and place for justice, mercy, and grace. I'm not always going to give them grace when they disobey, because in turn, they will never learn the concept of justice. It is a hard balance. This may involve me constantly disciplining my little ones in some form or another.  It's hard and tiring and always a judgement call.  

God is a Forgiver.

If I don't show ample and genuine forgiveness to my child, how will they grasp God's immense forgiveness of our sins through Jesus? 

This means moving on after punishments.  No holding things above their heads, no silent treatment, no bringing up old wounds, no anger or secret bitterness towards them. My kids aren't really at an age where this is an issue, but we also need to show this action towards our spouse in front of our kids as well. Watching your marriage is one of the biggest ways your children learn. 

One concept that I'm very intentionally working on with the girls right now is God is the Creator. I am not creating things in order to emulate God, but I try in every day conversation to bring Him up as they develop a concept of their world. "Oh look at that pretty butterfly God made!" or "I'm so glad God made strawberries! Don't they taste good, girls?" or "Wow! God made it rain a lot last night! Look at all those puddles!" This is a fun concept for me, and a good reminder to enjoy the little things. 

The ugly? It's hard to do all these things. I'm constantly failing. I repeat, I suck at this. 

But that's ok because God has grace upon me. As of now, I will work with all of my heart to plant seeds of truth in these tiny hearts early on. Want your kid to be kind? Then you be kind because God is kind to us. Want your kid to be slow to anger? Then you be slow to anger because God is slow to anger with us. It's the "remove the plank from your own eye in order to remove the speck from your brother's" concept. A simple concept, but hard to put into action.

What do you think? Any parenting ideas out there? Do you think I'm a crazy person now? I'm no theologian, just a mom who is trying to follow Jesus.