Obedience - Children

Colossians 3:20-21

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.  Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” There are two things I have found to be tough in my life, marriage, and parenting.  Jan and I taught young couples for years, and most had two or more children and would tell us only having one child did not qualify us as parents.  We would always agree the more children, the greater the challenge in being the parent each child needs.  As I stated yesterday, it does not require a village to raise a child, but God’s design is a mother and dad. 

I am going to first look at verse 21 and will return to verse 20, “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”  A dad’s role in the home is so essential; it has no replacement you are indispensable in your child’s life; that is if you show up and do as God has instructed you.

To state my point of view, I looked for someone more qualified, and Dr. Popenoe sure has the title.  He is Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University and Co-Director of the National Marriage Project. 

“One of the most vital aspects of a dad's contribution to the lives of his kids lies precisely in what Dr. Popenoe calls his "significantly different parenting style." Men and women are different. As a result mothers and fathers parent their children differently.

Dads, for instance, love their children "more dangerously." That's because they play "rougher" and are more likely to encourage risk-taking. They provide kids with a broader diversity of social experiences. They also introduce them to a wider variety of methods of dealing with life. They tend to stress rules, justice, fairness, and duty in discipline. In this way, they teach children the objectivity and consequences of right and wrong. They give kids insight into the world of men. They prepare them for the challenges of life and demonstrate by example the meaning of respect between the sexes. In connection with this last point, research indicates that a married father is substantially less likely to abuse his wife or children than men in any other category.”

Returning to verse 20, have you not been taught “Obedience brings blessing” and what does obedience look like? Is it not acting on what you are told at that time, and all else falls short of compliance?  Obedience is an act of the “Will” and with that choice comes blessing.  Now the real benefit comes later in life, when the children who have received discipline in obedience from their parents, will find it less difficult to obey God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice