My husband and I are desperate to get this Christian parenting gig right. Our children’s futures, and quite possibly our grandchildren’s futures, are at stake. We seek the Lord’s will and He is faithful to answer our prayers. He has a plan for each of us and we believe that with our whole hearts.
Parenting God’s way is a tall order requiring diligence, obedience, patience, and prayer. My husband and I consult the Lord on everything from where our family should live to how we should educate the kiddos. We pray about church membership and job placement. We depend on Him for guidance regarding friendships, credit card debt, and whether we should or shouldn’t maintain our Netflix account. The Holy Spirit is welcome in our home.
Regretfully, this is where our faith runs short. We ask the Lord to show us how to live. He gives us direction regarding our family. We follow through on that direction with obedience. Then . . . well, then the fretting begins.
We tend to have a major lack of trust in the outcomes. We second-guess every little decision. We obsess over the results. Basically, we don’t trust God with the things we have no control over.
Let’s take a minute and evaluate someone in a similar situation; Noah and his big boat. God gave him a ridiculously important job to do. Following God into this responsibility required diligence, obedience, patience, and prayer. Just like in the project of parenting, God gave Noah specific instructions on how to do this thing successfully.
The massive boat was to be built a certain length, width, and height. It was to be made of a certain type of wood. God gave Noah directions for successfully building the boat He wanted built. The details can be found in Genesis 6:14-16. God instructed Noah on every single feature.
However, there is one divine detail God omitted. At least we don’t find it mentioned in the Bible. Noah’s ark didn’t have a steering wheel. There were no oars. There were no sails. There was absolutely no way for Noah to drive. Noah was not the captain of this gigantic ship. He was simply a passenger.
Noah possessed what I tend to lack. Trust.
Noah put an impressive amount of work into following God’s leadership and design for not only his life, but also for the ark. Then he got aboard that big boat in the midst of a life-crushing flood and trusted God to steer.
Parenting can be done this way as well. We can and should consult God on all the details of life. Following Him as we build our families and households is imperative. Trusting Him with the outcome is vital as well.
We can build and build and build. But, acknowledging that we do not have access to the steering wheel is a game-changer. After that, we can trust that our heavenly father will take it from there. That’s where we find rest, peace, and joy.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Sincerely called and unapologetically unqualified,
Angelene Woodard www.unqualifiedmom.com
