I've been thinking a lot this
past week about parenting.
The majority of Parents want the same things for our kids. Whether you have faith or not, at the core we want our kids to be happy and loved and to be successful at whatever they choose. We want them to be kind and loving and responsible citizens one day.
And we all may parent differently but I think we all hope the end result will be children who are better than we are ourselves. We parent the way our parents did us. We use reward systems. We use discipline methods. And we choose what we do because we want the best for our children.
We may not agree with how others parent their children but we also cross our fingers hoping what we are doing works. Right?
But even with the best intentions and a lot of prayer, even the most wonderful parents can have children who don't go the path they would choose for them. I know amazing moms and dads who have kids who have ended up in jail or on drugs or with a teen pregnancy. Those same parents may have other children who are doctors or successful parents or in the ministry. And you scratch your head and wonder what went wrong and what can I do differently.
But it's all about free will.
We can't control the choices our kids make. We can lovingly guide them. We can instill values and teach them and when they are young and under our roof we can make it hard for them to make wrong choices but at the end of the day we can't control who they will become friends with or who they will marry.
And this makes me think about the question I am asked frequently.....
The majority of Parents want the same things for our kids. Whether you have faith or not, at the core we want our kids to be happy and loved and to be successful at whatever they choose. We want them to be kind and loving and responsible citizens one day.
And we all may parent differently but I think we all hope the end result will be children who are better than we are ourselves. We parent the way our parents did us. We use reward systems. We use discipline methods. And we choose what we do because we want the best for our children.
We may not agree with how others parent their children but we also cross our fingers hoping what we are doing works. Right?
But even with the best intentions and a lot of prayer, even the most wonderful parents can have children who don't go the path they would choose for them. I know amazing moms and dads who have kids who have ended up in jail or on drugs or with a teen pregnancy. Those same parents may have other children who are doctors or successful parents or in the ministry. And you scratch your head and wonder what went wrong and what can I do differently.
But it's all about free will.
We can't control the choices our kids make. We can lovingly guide them. We can instill values and teach them and when they are young and under our roof we can make it hard for them to make wrong choices but at the end of the day we can't control who they will become friends with or who they will marry.
And this makes me think about the question I am asked frequently.....
WHY WOULD A LOVING GOD SEND
ANYONE TO HELL?
I don't think our loving God sends anyone to Hell. He loves us. He whispers in our ears "I created you. I love you. I want you" over and over and over. But He has given us free will. It's our choice to choose if we want to follow Him or not. And the choices we make spill over generationally. If we choose not to follow Him or have Him in our lives, most likely our children won't either.
I love my children and pray every day that God would be in every part of their lives. That He would help them to choose friends wisely and pick a mate that will be their partner both in life and in faith and that they will have a life filled with joy.
I don't think our loving God sends anyone to Hell. He loves us. He whispers in our ears "I created you. I love you. I want you" over and over and over. But He has given us free will. It's our choice to choose if we want to follow Him or not. And the choices we make spill over generationally. If we choose not to follow Him or have Him in our lives, most likely our children won't either.
I love my children and pray every day that God would be in every part of their lives. That He would help them to choose friends wisely and pick a mate that will be their partner both in life and in faith and that they will have a life filled with joy.
