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.’ One of the highest callings is 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 humour, and it can turn into one of the greatest joys of 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 centre, 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. If you’re not a parent, why not take this opportunity to pray for the parents and children you know.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.