“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates .” Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)
The above verse is one of my favorite passages of scripture, and one that I have held to as you hold on to a promise in a Will. The good news about this promise is that we don’t have to wait on someone to die – for the one who could make good on the promise has already died – and now He lives again – “to watch over His word to perform it!” (Romans 4:21)
Having become an adult under the Dr Spock generation, just as we got bottles and diapers and baby blankets, we were given a paperback book by Dr. Benjamin Spock on parenting and childcare. Although I cannot remember all the details, the essence of the book had to do with allowing the child to expess himself and changing the strict form of scheduling and discipline to a more lenient approach. Whatever his intent – much criticism arose over the many casualities of the Dr. Spock generation.
Fortunately for me, after I had my first daughter – and she had her first tantrum on me – I decided to forego Dr. Spock and turn to biblical parenting. I have never regretted it! Now I’m not going to tell you that I always interpreted it correctly, or followed scriptural admonition to a tee, but I can say that once I came to faith in Christ, I trusted Him to “teach my children” and Isaiah 54:12-17 became my life verse. Still today, I have to remind God of what He said, because now I have grandchildren and I want God to teach them too. And God’s word is still there – saying if “I will” then “He will” – so I teach God’s word and I expect Him to teach them on their journey of life and I still hold to Isaiah 54:
All your children will have God for their teacher—
what a mentor for your children!
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
far from terror—it won’t even come close!
If anyone attacks you,
don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them,
And if any should attack,
nothing will come of it.
I create the blacksmith
who fires up his forge
and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”
God’s Decree
God Bless You – and Your Children,
Maria