I have been reading a book on child training called, aptly, "To Train Up a Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl. (visit their website at www.nogreaterjoy.org - lots of great parenting insight!)
Recently I read a bold statement that really stood out to me. This is not a direct quote, but the "jist" of it was that even if a child is perfectly obedient in everything except for ONE SINGLE area...that child is COMPLETELY rebellious in his or her heart.
Imagine - your child obeys absolutely everything you say except for one thing. Maybe he gets up out of his bed when he's supposed to be sleeping...or perhaps she doesn't come the first time she is called. To almost anybody, that would be a wonderful child. Yet because there is one area in her life where she CHOOSES whether or not to obey, she is rebellious all the way through. She does not respect you completely. She makes her own decisions.
That is a bold statement, but I hope you can see the truth in it.
The same thing goes in our lives. If there is just one area in my life where I decide whether or not I'm going to do what the Lord tells me, I am rebellious through and through. I do not fear the Lord. Obedience is every time...not every time I feel like it.
Lord, help me to obey You every time, because I love You and I want my children to love and revere You.
10 comments:
A girl from out Bible study puts it this way, "Obey right away, all the way, and with a smile." And I might add, every time. Funny how the things we see in kids show us who we are.
we will see what you say when you have children some day. i think you have a false sense of reality.
This is not a false sense of reality. The Bible clearly teaches that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." That applies to kids' hearts, too.
I don't think, nor do I even imagine, that there is one child out there in the world who obeys every time, all the time, with a smile. That follows Biblical principals too - "there is none righteous, no, not one."
I'm not saying there aren't great kids - there are many kids who would make any parent proud with their respectful, obedient, responsive attitudes. But if there is even one area in that child's life where THEY are the boss and THEY make the decision whether to obey or not, they have a rebellious spirit.
"You have not loved me with your whole heart."
The same goes with us towards God.
are you a parent? don't you think that there is come sort of gray area here. you don't have the slightest idea how kids work. i think you are jumping to major conclusions about kids spirits. there is no "always" rebellious. good luck being a parent.. i think you are in for an awakening.
maybe you should search for the good in the kids instead of putting them into some negative category.
Yes, I am a parent.
And this teaching that I've been sharing with you comes from a parent of five well-behaved, successful, godly children. Do you have five well-behaved, successful, godly children?
I am not putting children in a negative category. I am putting children in the same category as everybody else - as a sinner in need of a savior.
To think that children are "basically good" and "want to do right" is foolishness. It is humanistic. Children want to do what they want, just like you and I do. They have learn to overcome their flesh just like we do. They have a sin nature just like we do. Their hearts are deceitful and wicked, just like yours and mine. To deny that is to call God a liar. This is basic Bible stuff.
Frankly, I can't understand why ANY Christian would have any difficulty accepting this fact. Any person who can't look at the total depravity of his or her own life without God and then translate that into the life of their child is doing that child a disservice. It is humanistic to think that your child is a good soul who just sometimes makes bad mistakes. You need to realize that your child has a fallen nature too, and needs repentance.
I am not a moron. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that kids are selfish, deceptive, and manipulative...and that they need their parents to train them to overcome those natural desires and live righteous. Just because my baby is not out of my womb yet does not mean that I have no experience with kids.
I wonder that you are so firm in your opinions, yet you hide your identity like someone who doesn't want to be held accountable for what he or she has said. If you can support your claims Biblically, there should be no reason to hide.
"I will obey the first time I'm told, I will obey right away, never asking why, never with a sigh, I will obey right away."
Remember this old song from school? I was reminded of it after reading Becky's comment. :)
I sing that song to Caleb and Sadie all the time. :)
I don't think they get it.
Interesting stuff, I think I get what your saying. I think possibly what people might read into the statement is somehow your going to fix all of that by parenting out the nature of a child. Which I don't think you believe.
You can't parent out the nature that we are, only God can come in and 'fix' us. As parents we just do the best we can to point them to the creator.
all i am saying is that you have to acknowledge kids will be kids..
As parents, we shoudl teach them the difference between right and wrong.. and it is our job to do so. Yes, we all may be sinners.. However, YOU are always focusing on the negative on this blog... biblical or not. maybe you should try seeing the good in some things, rather than pushing your "biblical" beliefs onto everyone. I got to your blog from a link.. you have no idea who I am.
Anonymous, I disagree with you that she focus's on the negitive. We all read into something someone writes with our own experiences, our own bias. If you met her, you'd know that's not how she's really intending it to be. I don't know her very well, but know her enough to say your misreading it.
(p.s. I have 2 kids)
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