Revelation Parenting

As parents, we are wearily aware of the advice offered regarding the rearing of our children. This advice comes from an amazing variety of sources. Some words from the wisdom of experience, some the speculations of fools, others the beliefs of misguided philosophies but most tainted by the fallen minds of humankind. There is however, one source too often ignored or refused, God’s Word, the Bible.

There is much about life, including child rearing, we may never fully understand. Some of those things are simply secrets God keeps, because He always knows best. So what are we to do? We are to parent our children according to the instructions God revealed.

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

We can neither do nor teach what we do not know and understand. Like so many areas of life, we often will “fill in the blanks” with things we have heard or with speculations. Over time, the truth reveals our folly; unfortunately at our children’s expense. God’s Words must take precedence over society’s fads.

SON-rise of HOPE

 Have you ever experienced the beauty of sunrise after a long dark night of worry and fear? The first rays of light that pierced the darkness seemed to carry real hope of a better day. The warmth and energy the dawn fed into your body and soul; the colors flooding over the darkness, revealing the life and hope so far away all night.

Imagine how beautiful and exciting the morning must have been when they heard the angels say, “…Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen:” Lu 24:5-6 Hope restored and renewed excitement because Jesus was alive! The Son had risen!

Do you remember how beautiful it was when the light of Jesus shone into your heart? The SON-rise in your soul, the relief, the warmth and exhilaration of hope it brought.

The sun rises every day driving life here on earth, providing energy for the water cycle and the transformation of basic elements into the foods that sustains us.

Let us celebrate the rising of the Son of God every day. Let us fulfill our calling to be the light of the world by embracing the rising of the Son of God, our Savior every day. Let it energize and drive the transformational work that brings relief and warmth and hope to all that remain in the darkness of night. May the Son rise in us today and every day ‘til He comes again!

DIFFERENCES

God, who never makes a mistake, created us different from one another. Those differences make each of us like the colors on an artist’s palette. Even though monochromatic pictures can be visually striking, they fail miserably at representing the splendor and variety of God’s creation.

Given an amazing opportunity to be the expression of the love and compassion of God we must learn to embrace our differences. To be right with God and properly express His love and compassion we need to know Him and learn to be content as the hue that God intended and to accept the hues of others, as they are in the beautiful picture God is painting.

Some of us work so hard at blurring the differences between us and those we like, while others do everything, they can to exaggerate the differences. Even if it is not our purpose, both end up closing a circle around us resulting in keeping most people out of our lives.

Either way the beauty of God’s work is marred because of our fears and insecurities. Faith in God and His Word will allow us to be grateful and excited that He has chosen to add our hue to His masterpiece.