We Think We Are the Teachers
When I became a parent I thought my responsibility was to teach my children everything they needed to know about life. I knew I had to protect them guide them and prepare them for the future.
Recently I have learnt something I never thought about before.
While I was raising my children God was also raising me.
Parenting Is a Journey of Growth
Our children are one of God’s greatest gifts. They are entrusted to our care for a time and they invite us into one of life’s greatest opportunities for growth.
They reveal parts of ourselves we may never have seen. They expose our fears, our expectations, our impatience and our need for control. They also reveal our capacity for compassion, forgiveness, humility and unconditional love.
Every conversation every disagreement every celebration and every disappointment becomes an opportunity to know ourselves a little better.
Parenting is not about becoming perfect. It is about becoming more aware.
Awareness Changes Everything
Awareness is the beginning of transformation. When we become aware of our thoughts, our reactions and our beliefs we are given a choice. We can continue repeating old patterns or we can choose a different response that is rooted in love, wisdom and gratitude.
Our children are entrusted to us, to our care for a season while inviting us into one of life’s greatest journeys of growth.
They Draw Us Closer to God
They draw us closer to God in ways we never expected. We find ourselves praying for their safety before they leave home, praying for wisdom as they make decisions, praying for strength when they struggle, praying for peace when they are hurting and praying that God’s purpose will be fulfilled in their lives.
Through loving them we discover how deeply we depend on God.
Learning to Love Without Attachment
One of the greatest lessons of parenting is learning to love without attachment.
To love deeply without possessing.
To guide without controlling.
To protect while trusting God with what we cannot control.
To celebrate who our children are instead of who we imagined they would become.
Love gives freedom. Love creates space for another person to grow. Love does not seek ownership. It seeks the highest good for the other person.
Our children are not ours to keep. They belong to God. We are entrusted with the privilege of loving them, guiding them and preparing them for the unique purpose He has placed on their lives.
A Different Measure of Success
When we see parenting through this lens everything changes.
Success is no longer measured by achievements grades careers or accomplishments.
Success is measured by the love we show, the grace we extend, the example we set and the faith we live.
Our Greatest Classroom
I no longer believe that parenting is only about raising children.
An abusive parent may reject it and act out of fear, anger, addiction, or cruelty instead.An abusive parent may reject it and act out of fear, anger, addiction, or cruelty instead.
I believe parenting is one of God’s greatest classrooms and we act upon the choices presented to us.
It can teach us patience, humility, forgiveness and
Most of all it teaches us to love as God loves.
Perhaps that has been the lesson all along.
While we spend years trying to shape our children God is shaping us.
And that may be one of His greatest gifts of all.
What has parenthood revealed about your own journey of growth?
