A Godly Parenting Principle

Ezekiel 6:10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

Lauren and I are about 5 months into this parenting thing and are absolutely having a blast. But we also realize the magnitude of the responsibility we have before God concerning the precious child He has placed in our home. And we want to take that responsibility seriously. By the grace of God, we want to do what the Bible says we should and train up our little girl in the way she should go. We want to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We know she has a sin nature and a free will, but we want to do everything we absolutely can to see her live a life that pleases the Lord and will count for something in eternity.

And we need all the help we can get. Books. Magazines. Articles. Advice. Sermons. Examples. We know we don’t have it figured out. But we want to do all we can to figure it out. We know we’re going to make mistakes. But we want to do all we can to minimize those mistakes.

So I came across something in my Bible this morning that reminded me of one of those things I have read, and I wanted to pass along the principle to you, not because you’re not aware of it, but just as a helpful reminder – for you and for me.

And here it is. Empty threats are worse than useless. They hurt you and your child. When God said He would do evil to His people for their disobedience, He did not say it in vain.

If you say you’re going to do something, you’ve got to do it. If you declare a certain action will result in a certain consequence, you must make certain it happens as you have said. If you outline a course of punishment for a certain offense, you absolutely must carry that thing out. Otherwise, you are effectively teaching your child to ignore what you say because you don’t mean it anyway. You are teaching your child to test whatever boundaries you set to see how far those boundaries can be extended.

I know, I know. It’s easy to say. But it’s also biblical. And with God’s help, I want to follow His word. So let’s not make excuses. And by the grace of God, let’s raise a generation that will bring honor and glory to the One who is worthy.