God declares that “children are His reward and heritage” through Psalm 127, our reading today. It clearly means that children are to be looked upon as a blessing.

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It may be overwhelming to have “God’s heritage” in our hands and many times as parents we are puzzled, not knowing how to raise “His reward,” according to His will and purpose. Trying your best to reach a point where you deeply desire to be the parent God wants you to be, most often you find yourself at a loss, not knowing what to do next. Desperately you turn to psychologists and counsellors. Unfortunately, they confuse you even more, with their advice on parenting which keeps on changing from time to time.

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Dear Parents, don’t be surprised by the fact that this world has no idea how to raise children in a godly way—BUT GOD DOES!  God speaks to the family with timeless wisdom that will help us be the parents He wants us to be. May every parent be encouraged to seek help in Him only!

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When the LORD builds

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V1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;” Its only when Lord build your home, children become our heritage – allow Him to build your home! As a loving and careful parent, you watch over your children. You want to know everything about them— their friends, where they go, what they do. You may even keep track of their social networking; but all this watching and worrying is vain without the Lord. The other part of V1 says, “Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.”

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Father –a  mighty Warrior

V4 refers to a father as warrior. God wants Fathers to be spiritually strong on behalf of their families. Fathers should intercede for their children in prayer and bestow blessings upon them as it was a routine in the Old Testament times. Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” Don’t hesitate to lay hands over your children and bless them and do it as often as you can!

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Children – Arrows

V4 calls children as arrows. Children are not born as straight arrows but they have to be made into sharp arrows. There is a time when the arrows are in your hand and there will come a time they will no longer be in your hands. When those arrows are in your hand, they are your responsibility. They do not turn out well without training and discipline. It’s difficult to mold them once they enter their adolescence, so it has to be done at the tender age itself. It is up to us to aim them right; to shape them in such a way as to serve the Lord. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

 

*Practical tips*

• Mealtime – At the table with a meal, you can affirm, teach, converse, listen, laugh, etc….Life lessons are learned here – all other distractions, including electronic gadgets, must be kept away / switched off.

• Travel time -Switch off your CD player to engage in conversations. Jesus taught His disciples while He travelled too. Use your travel time for exchange of ideas and point them in the right direction. They won’t be driving with you always.

• Bedtime – Spend time in short prayer with the family before the day ends— Bless your children before they sleep.

May we seek the Lord and do what we need to, that our children will be a blessing!

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Thought: “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” ~ Charles (Chuck) Swindoll