By DR. TEENA WELBORN
What does our heavenly Father say about being a parent? God thinks parents are awesome, and they are to be honored and respected. Let’s start 2023 off with a new and amazing reset for ourselves and our children!
When I first started writing my book “Raising Whosoevers to Be the Heart of the Schools,” I thought there were “maybe” a couple of scriptures that specifically said to honor your mother and father, but boy was I wrong! I came across scripture after scripture commanding this. He wants you to be honored and respected by your children. Teaching your children how to respect you will lead them to respect others, like teachers or any adults.
The Bible tells us:
● Respect your mother and father (Leviticus 19:3).
● Honor your mother and father, so you may live long in the land that God has given you (Exodus 20:12).
● Honor your mother and father. Your God has commanded you so that you may live long and it may go well with you (Deuteronomy 5:16).
● Children, obey your parents, and you will live long on the earth. It is the first commandment with a promise (Ephesians 6:1-3).
● Obey your parents; it pleases the Lord (Colossians 3:20).
● Cursed is the man who dishonors his mother and father (Deuteronomy 27:16).
● A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother (Proverbs 10:1).
It is your responsibility as a parent to take this honored position seriously. Remember the Bible also tells us not to give rise, try to get a strong emotional reaction, aggravate, trick, manipulate, deliberately make angry, or annoy our children. If you are doing this, it will be difficult to gain that honor and respect. God gave our children rules to obey, but He also gave us instructions. They go hand in hand.
God has placed you in a position to teach, guide, and be an example for your children. If you are acting in a way that is causing you not to achieve that respect and honor, you may need to rethink your actions, attitude, and the way you are handling situations with your child.
God wants you to have a healthy and happy parenting experience, but of course Satan does not. He will try everything to create deception, chaos and conflict in your family. Stay on a biblical track when raising your children, so Satan will not bother you as much. The Bible tells us he will flee, and that is exactly what we want as a parent raising children in today’s secular world.
As you start your new year, keep resetting your thoughts on how you can do better. One thing I noticed when I was an educator was that parents were so busy. Some had situations that could not be helped, but others chose a busy lifestyle that took time away from their children. It could have been too much time at the office, extra activities, or personal time (golf, friends, watching sports).
When Jesus was on this earth, He said to make disciples, and what a great place to start, your children! Make disciples in your own home, so they can go into our world and make more disciples. Think about how blessed we would be to witness the gift from God, our children, going into their adult lives and carrying out God’s purpose for them.
3 easy ideas to start your reset for 2023
1. Be in the Word daily! It is God-breathed and will speak to you directly.
2. Say something to your child every day about Jesus, scripture, or ask them about something they did that day that made Jesus happy.
3. This is BIG: Remember they are watching you and learning. Do not let them be confused by what they hear in church versus what they witness at home.
Before Jesus left this earth, He told us to strive for perfection, and what better area to strive for perfection than parenting! Our children are our future generation. We need all the little disciples we can create on the earth.
Dr. Teena Welborn is a retired educator and author of “Raising Whosoevers to Be the Heart of Our Schools.” Dr. Welborn and her husband of 37 years, Cliff, live in Florence, Mississippi, where they raised their three boys. They are members of First Baptist Florence. She can be contacted at tlmwelborn13@gmail.com.
