September 7

Today is my eldest son’s birthday. Children probably don’t realize this but their birthdays are an opportunity for their parents to reflect on their parenting!

As parents, we love to quote Ephesians 6.1-3 to our children.
Ephesians 6:1-3 (English Standard Version)
Children and Parents
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3"that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."

As parents it is also important that we continue reading verse 4.
4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

That’s a pretty heavy responsibility. As parents, we can and should take that very seriously and strive to do our very best. But as sinful human beings, we know we will always fall short of that mark of perfection. Many days we need to confess our shortfalls—not only to God but also to our children. I frequently tell young mothers that our children survive and thrive not because of us but in spite of us. The Lutheran Study Bible contains an article entitled “Law and Gospel Parenting.” It makes the statement: “The best way for a Christian to parent a child is to remember that he or she is a child: God’s child.” What better example of parenting than to look to the example of how God parents us—always showing us His Law and His Gospel. As our children become adults, we continue to pray for them and encourage them in their faith journey with the Lord. And when we want to beat ourselves up over the mistakes we have made or blame ourselves for the bad choices our children have made, remember that we are still “Children of the Heavenly Father.” Rest secure in the knowledge that He never forsakes His children.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the blessing you give us in children. Help us to recognize them as gifts on loan from You. Thank you for the perfect example of parenting you show us every day as you deal with us. Help us to show that same Law & Gospel to our children. Thank you for the blood of the Perfect Lamb, Your Son, which forgives us all of our many sins and failures. Thank you for never forsaking Your children!
In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen