Parenting Tips from God

I was talking with a friend today about the perfect parent--God.  He is the perfect parent and has given us some really great parenting tips.  We all know how much He loves us--He sent His only son to die for our imperfect, sinful lives.  That's a lot of love.  He's shown us mercy by not giving us what we deserve--death.  He's shown us grace when we receive that gift of salvation from our sin and then He sees us as perfect.  He constantly encourages us to become the best person we can be!  He cheers us on and delights in us.  Love, mercy, grace, encouragement, and delight...what an awesome place to start with parenting.

But it doesn't stop there.  There may be a few things you've not given thought to in God's parenting style.  He disciplines His children.  I'm not talking about punishment.  He trains us.  He disciples us.  He's given us the Holy Spirit (who lives in us and is with us constantly) to teach us, guide us, help us, and mentor us.  God wants us to live a holy life--a life which is set apart for Him.  He wants to use us in His kingdom--to be a true representation of Him, His name, and His love.  In fact, He's given us His name and His identity by adopting us...and it carries a lot of weight.  He gives us responsibility.  We get to represent Him and use the gifts He's given us as we grow.  It's a powerful thing to partner with Him in our purpose as we mature.

God also corrects us.  God wants us to walk in truth and freedom!  So when we fall into error or lies, He is committed to correcting His kids.  Don't think of God as "a man upstairs who is carrying a big stick, ready to beat us."  He cares about us and will speak to our hearts--correcting us.  God has also given us boundaries--not to keep us from fun--but to protect us from evil.  It's like a fence of protection--to guard us from the enemy who wants to destroy us.  If He's told us something is wrong, it's because He wants us to move into a fulfilled life--one where we'll be protected, happy, satisfied, and content.

God doesn't always rescue His kids.  I think this concept is so important!  God's purpose is to grow us up into strong, healthy adults who can impact His kingdom.  So when you find yourself in a painful situation, God may or may not jump in to help you.  He knows where you are in your level of maturity.  Instead of rescuing you, He may hand you a sword and teach you to fight your enemy.  And He will do that enough times until your spiritual muscles have bulked up and you've learned how your enemy thinks, where he usually attacks, and how to resist him and help guard others.

God will always be your safe place.  You can always run to Him and He will defend you.  And even when you may mess up BIG time, He will meet you where you are, receive you, clean you up, feed you, and redirect you.  He always offers forgiveness and full restoration.  God's love never fails.

These are some important parenting tips from God.