The Patent On Parenting And Grandparenting

The Patent on Parenting and Grandparenting

What’s the best way to know if you are a parent? Admitting that sometimes you wash with baby wipes in the morning to save time.

It’s driving around at 3 am in the morning, listening to soft Christian music, so little Johnny will finally fall asleep and you can too.

It’s hearing your son or daughter cry because you cut their sandwich in 4 squares and they wanted triangles.

It’s being interrupted 75 times when you’re trying to tell someone else a story.

It’s realizing that when you clean your house, it’s like shoveling the sidewalk in the middle of a snowstorm.

And lastly, if you can’t find your kids, lie down for a minute, they’ll find you.

Joking aside, in the form of an Acrostic, let’s look at God’s plan for Parenting.

P - Practice and Promote Love in all things. Most kids will never stand before a judge and say, “I’m sorry for my hate crime, but my parents and grandparents just loved me too much. Moms and Dads – Grandmas and Grandpas – you are the real education of your family. You are the reading and writing and arithmetic. They read what you do every day – they write it in their own hearts – and they live their life by the equation you have taught them.

When Jesus was parenting the disciples, teaching them, they asked him “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And He said to them, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And in John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

It’s all about practicing and promoting LOVE. We can’t love God and hate each other. Part of loving God and loving your children is training them –

“Train up a child in the way he or she should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 So how do we train up our children? What does that look like in practice?

First, teach them who God is? Genesis 1:1 is so important in comparison with our educational system and evolution today. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. They are going to be taught a lot of theory’s about where they came from and who created them and this world – and none of them will point to God, unless they go to a Christian school.

Teach them to love imperfect people. To love that one person who drives them crazy.

Teach them to forgive. And Yes, talk about the fact that life isn’t fair. Sometimes the bad guys win and the good guys lose, but that’s only in this life – not in eternity. In eternity, the good guys, the guys who repent and ask Christ to forgive them will be the winners.

Practicing and promoting love means your character will be an example to them

A - Address Christian Character. We already covered love. Then there is the Big “I” – Integrity. As parents and grandparents you lead with Integrity. You live your life at home in the same way you live it out in public. How do you talk to your kids? Your spouse? Behind closed doors, when those little ears are listening. What are you watching on TV? Do you Talk the talk and walk the walk. Meaning, do we walk in the footsteps of Christ even when we think no one can see us or hear us.

Train up your children to be Honest. There was a day when agreements were sealed with a handshake. Not anymore. Dishonesty is rampant. We need to train our children in the importance of being honest – because an honest heart is open to God. The more honest we are, the easier it is to trust. Even when we mess up

Teach your kids to Say I’m sorry. Then everyone can move on. Plus, when we are honest, we can get rid of the guilt, we can gain confidence again, we can begin to restore our reputation.

Train up your children to be Responsible. We have a Christian responsibility/duty to serve others. Don’t forget the command of Matthew 26:36 “I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.” The responsibility of every believer is to share their faith, time, love, and resources with those who are less fortunate.

Train up your children to show Respect. Respect is rooted in the concept that we are all created in the image of God. Yes, all of us. Even non-Christians. If we can’t respect a non-believer, how can we ever expect to lead them to a loving relationship with Christ. Even Jesus showed respect to sinners. He had compassion on those who had been led astray. Remember when the religious leaders brought to Jesus the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery? What was His response?