Your builders outdo your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go away from you… Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land-surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. Isaiah 49: 17, 19, NRSV.
Dearest Lord, how grateful we are that Your mercies endure forever! How grateful we are that You restore! May You speak the Word of life to our hearts and may we be restored into Your image. In the name of Jesus we pray; Amen.
Yesterday we spoke about the process of restoration in the relationship between spouses. We concluded that loving each other the way that Jesus loves, is a necessary element in the creation of healthy marriages, and happy homes. Today, we want to talk about the junior members of the family firm: our children; our treasures; our gifts from God! Perhaps you have noticed how, in several of these devotionals, I have wished that I had done things differently, while raising my children. I loved them with all my heart, and did what I thought was best for them, but not necessarily, according to wisdom.
As I grew older, and learned more about the way character formation takes place, I see so many problem areas in my way of parenting. Where would we be, if it had not been for the grace of God! I am so glad that we serve a God who restores! He takes our mistakes, and works with them for His honor and glory! I believe that some of you will agree with me, that when we see the end result in our children, we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God was at work, salvaging our children from our errors!
Ephesians 6: 1-4, offers some sound counsel to both children and parents. In Paul’s day and society, that was an anomaly. Parents could do whatever they wanted with their children, without having to give an account to anyone! Fathers, being the head of the household could discipline their children with unmeasured severity. Children were not held in high esteem. There were no shelters for abused children and mothers, as many are fortunate to have today. In giving instruction, Paul, uses the same pattern that he used to counsel spouses. He tells each group what is expected of them; and then offers advice on how to deal with each other.
Children were to “obey their parents in the Lord.” They were to honor their parents according to God’s commandment, “because this is right.” Now notice how the Christian household was to differ, radically, from the non-Christian household of Paul’s day: “And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (4, NRSV). Wow! This was unheard of! While obedience was expected of children, parents were not told how to deal, or not deal, with their children! But in the Christian home, parents were to instruct their children in love, and live an exemplary life. Harshness was not to be exercised, lest the children should become discouraged.
My second daughter, at age three; with two fingers in her mouth, and a not too happy look on her face, reminded me that “children have rights too!” I agreed with her then (though at the time I was surprised out of my wits to hear it from the mouth of one so tiny!), and I agree with her now! Children do have rights that must be respected; and if there is one place that everyone’s rights should be considered worthy of respect, it is in our Christian homes! Can you see why Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18)? That is because the message of the cross is about restoration! And only those who have experienced restoration themselves, can appreciate the message!
God wants to restore all of our relationships; and if we give them to Him, He will give them back to us, completely restored, and improved!