Parenting 2

This may interest people who believe in the God of the Bible.

To anyone else, this follows on from yesterday’s Parenting thoughts.

He calls us his Children, asks us to call him Father, and frequently refers to his followers as Family.

So, the Parenting Principle applies here too.

We come to him as tiny babes; the Bible refers to it  as being Born Again.

We are encouraged to sit at his feet and learn from him as he forges his character, his values, his personality in us. 

To start with, we depend on him in every situation, for every direction, before every decision, during every interaction.

But over the years, his obvious aim is to GROW US UP, so becoming more and more like him, more and more independent, representing him as ambassadors. Abraham got to the stage in his development, where he was even called: “Friend of God”. In Jeremiah, it states that the new covenant will no longer be a terrifying list of rules to obey, but his law will be written on our hearts.

The childish dependency is gradually replaced by what the Bible calls: ‘The Mind Of Christ’; which means we instinctively know the right path to take, the wisest decision to make, the correct thing to say, because his essence, his Spirit, his very being is within us.

So, (much like our own children)  we need to Grow Up.  The desperate reliance lessens, as our ‘Skill In Living’ grows, as we gradually Mature from ‘Babes in Christ’ to “Oaks of Righteousness” and “Men and Women of God”.  Adults!  James says we should be: “Mature and Complete, not lacking anything”. Not permanently dependent and fragile, meek and weak.

What struck me recently, was the number of times I hear people who have been in ‘The Way’ for many years, asking ‘Dad’ what to do in every single situation, what car to buy, what job to take, what to wear, what to eat, where to go, what to say.

Worse still, is when they ask ‘Dad’ to Stop them Speaking too much, to Prevent them going down that path, or to rescue them from a situation they themselves have put themselves into. That is still being childish.

No parent wants their child to still be dependent at the age of 30.

Many times over recent years, I have sensed a voice within me, telling me: I am a big boy now, I have been given the Mind of Christ, I can choose for myself.

Far from putting me in bondage, this revelation has brought me Freedom. I realise with relief, that my Dad trusts me to live my life under his principles, and he looks down and smiles, and declares: “It Is Good. I have raised Serge correctly, he is now ready to leave home and face the world. I will of course be right there with him, but I have taught him how to be responsible for his own health, to manage his money, to control his own thoughts and speech. Go Serge, proud of you my son”.