I used to think (but never would have admitted it) that I could "fix" my kids' human nature just by being a really, really good Mum. I thought (without really thinking it) if I just gave them enough attention, enough "love", good food, etc, etc then they wouldn't need to lie or be sneaky. I thought they would grow up to be kind and thoughtful and good just from my hard work.
Then the bubble burst.
I can't fix me, so of course I can't fix my kids. The only remedy for human nature comes from God and we have to first see that and then accept it in order to be healed from our brokenness. Kids can't - not yet.
No matter how "good" I am at being a Mum (and I can't really be that good at it because I still have my own human nature to contend with), there is no short-cut to "goodness" for my kids - no bypassing the need at the very core of their being for God to rebuild them from the inside out.
God has given my husband and I the job of teaching our kids right from wrong, based on the Bible. He expects us to do our very best. It is not our job to fix them. If we try, we put ourselves in the place of God - we become our own idols.
It's hard to let go of that. I have to remind myself. Every. Single. Day. I am not God. I cannot fix it. Let God fix it. In His time. In His way. It won't just be OK - it will be better than I can even imagine.
My great hope is that my kids will choose as they grow up to let God fix them. My hope is that we will share eternity together.
If you have found this post encouraging, try listening to the fantastic sermon, Are You Playing Church?
I think you have done very well to realize about our inability to fix our children's human nature so early. It is a hard thing to accept at first, but not one person can be in the Kingdom without Christ's sacrifice, which each of us TRULY NEEDS. We need both the sacrifice, and His subsequent transforming work; every one of us.
ReplyDeleteRelated to this matter is the realization that we cannot spare our children from suffering, much as we so desperately want to. Of course, our good parenting certainly has a bearing on our children's future experiences, but it is still true for every individual that "through much tribulation we enter the Kingdom". This can be a very hard to watch, but there is also the knowledge that God is working out something for their, and everybody's, eternal good.