I found the following quote in a book I was reading last week (Lies Women Believe, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss), and it has been on my mind ever since. I am constantly in awe of the amazing responsibility that we have been given, by God, to raise our children, as Ephesians 6:4 tells us, to “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.†This quote is a challenge, and a reminder of that responsibility:
“The Truth is, our task is not to rear children who can “fit in†or merely “survive†in this world. The challenge of every Christian parent is to bring up children who love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength; who have a vibrant, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus; and whose lives will be bright and shining lights, penetrating the darkness around them. christian parents ought to be seeking to raise up not just “good†children, but children who enthusiastically embrace the Truth,children who love righteousness, and hate evil, children who will be used by God to change this world.â€
She then goes on to say,
“I can’t thank the Lord enough for guiding my parents to cultivate in us a deep love for holiness and a strong aversion to sin, not so much out of fear of what the culture might do to us, as out of reverence and love for the Lord.â€
And I wholeheartedly echo that statement! I only pray that my children will be able to say the same of their parents someday…