…in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it”. Proverbs 22:6
We might think of child rearing somewhat in the way an artist molds clay, or a sculptor chisels a beautiful image from stone. When raising children, we must know their personalities, know what they enjoy and find interesting. It takes time, but watch them and see what they gravitate toward. This makes parenting even more rewarding as you help develop your child in what may already interest or fascinates them.
Raising healthy, productive children takes time and much patience. But it is the highest honor and most beneficial work a parent can accomplish. It is extremely rewarding and sometimes heartbreaking. But the only thing that is able to accompany you to heaven is another person. So consider what a joy to prepare your child for eternity with you, in God’s presence. There is no higher calling or greater job this world knows. So we take it very seriously.
Many years ago I learned the Japanese art of Bonsai. To take a young small tree and view it as an artist, what natural elements of the tree lend itself into a bend to give the appearance of windswept age. Or shall the planter appear as a grove of trees? How will this planter inspire others, with look of withstanding years of weather and eroded soil? Bonsai requires a vision. Parenting requires vision, patience and delicate training. The Proverb encourages the parent to ‘train up’ a child. As the bonsai artist uses wire to help the young tree bend and grow in a certain style, so does the parent. No one is better suited because of your natural love, care and interest for the best your child can be.
Even children with various disabilities need guidance and careful, loving direction. From my office window I see the neighbor, now a 37 year old man, non-verbal autistic. Yet he has a wonderful place and brings joy, even though his parents were initially sadden at his deep disability. Every person has worth and has a vital place in life. Finding that place and being properly equipped is a big job, a job the parent helps mold their child into.
You decided to have a child, or possibly were surprised by it, but it is a blessing. Don’t pawn-off parenting to another. The cost of living sometimes makes parenting difficult, but, if you are able, don’t substitute work for parenting. You didn’t have a child for someone else to raise. A child needs their mother and father. No one will do the job like you!
Parenting is a big, life-long job that takes on various directions. By thinking through your means and directions, while applying truth into your child’s life is certainly the highest calling this world can know. Don’t be swayed by some, seemingly popular idea, that parenting is not fulfilling or should take a ‘back-seat’ to a career. Jobs and career’s come and go. In your old age, others step in and replace us. But being a parent is forever. Keep it as your priority.
