James 1:2-4

What a great reminder of the parent that we should all strive to be, not one who shields their child from pain, but one that helps them with it.

I received an email from MOPS today with this message...

Tough Love

By Jen Hatmaker, author of MOPS devotional "Out of the Spin Cycle"

Caleb, my eight-year-old, came home from a tackle football scrimmage last week and reported his grievances right away:“Mom! The boys on the other team kept hurting me, but it was all in secret so they never got a foul! I told Dad, but he said football was for getting hurt, then sucking it up.”

"More than anything,
I want my children
to become mature in Christ"

Sounds harsh right? But maybe not so much if you know where we’re coming from on this. I don’t know if this is inspired parenting or not, but the hubs and I decided early on not to raise – ¿cómo se dice – whiners. After ten years in student ministry, we’ve seen plenty of overindulged kids who believe the world should revolve around their agendas and bend over backwards to protect their happiness. Likewise, we’ve counseled kids whose parents cushioned every blow, fought every battle, and paid for every mistake their kids made, so when they encountered trials as college students or young adults, they were incapable of handling stress or conflict in a remotely healthy way.

Instead, we’re seeking to raise our children under the instruction of James 1: 2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” More than anything, I want my children to become mature in Christ, but rescuing and coddling them through every small struggle ensures that they’ll never develop perseverance for the big ones that will come later. And I know that isn’t inspired parenting.