A fellow-blogger mummy and fellow believer-in-Christ over at Our Everyday Things wrote about whether it was enough simply raising morally good children. She said she was “rebuked” by this article: How to Raise a Pagan Kid in a Christian Home — I.N.F.O. For Families.
i read that article and indeed it is an eye-opener! It is a definite wake-up call for me, personally.
i was raised Asian, which means respect for elders and authority is way up there on the what-to-teach-your-children list, along with being good to people around you and doing well in your studies. And yes, even though we try very hard to be different parents, trying to give our son a better (what is, in our limited view, better) upbringing than what we had. (For the record, i think my parents did a super job – that’s not to say i’m perfect but i can not complain about how i was brought up.) We try to be liberal enough to not hinder his creative side but we also want to be strict enough so that he’s not growing up a ‘wild’ child.
BUT… having read that article i realised i have failed – big time… i have failed to teach my child that it is God’s standards that he has to live up to, not ours. And more importantly, that he can not meet that Heavenly standard without fully and completely depending on the Lord to lead him, guide him and help him.
i have always encouraged him to try and try cos that’s the way we learn and grow. i have always said to him that he can do it as long as he tries. But i have neglected to let him know that as humans we will fail if we try to live the 100% good life because humans are fallen and can never be 100% good. We need God.
i need to teach him that he needs to depend on God, who knows everything, made everything and can give him everything he needs.
i need to remember:
If your goals are focused on your kids’ behavior, their happiness, or their accomplishments (but don’t include a dependence upon Christ and a submission to His will and work), then you might want to make some adjustments.
Because the world has enough pagans. Even plenty of really nice ones. What we need is kids who fully grasp the reality that they have nothing to offer, but who intimately know a God who has everything they need.
What are your thoughts on this?
syc
trippingdifferently 