True Parenting

I read a good article today on parenting and God's grace.

I searched on google using some words I recently heard someone say "redemptive parenting". I don't remember ever hearing that before. I'm guessing I have since the author of this article actually recommends Tedd Tripp's book Shepherding a Child's Heart, which I have heartily endorsed on my blog before.

But, I'm sure it would not be okay to copy and post the article since it's copyrighted, so I'm putting in a link. It's a little long, but it's a very good read on parenting for the glory of God.

Becoming a Parent: Facing Your Fears and Frustrations by Jonathan Dodson

Here's a portion of a section entitled "True Parenting" that really caught my attention and made me want to do a blog post about the article (found at the link above; all credit belongs to Jonathan Dodson for the words of wisdom below):

There are places in our hearts over which we have hung the teenager’s sign, “My Room. Do Not Enter.” These are rooms where the dirty laundry of our hearts reeks of selfishness. We want to parent on our terms and when our terms aren’t met, we get bitter or despondent. We yell because we can’t fix things and sulk because we are losing our identity. What is really happening? God is fixing us by reshaping our identity, and our fears and our frustrations are flares warning us of parent-centered parenting.

When our freedoms are removed, our idols are revealed. For some it may be the idolatry of time—I want to do what I want to do. For others, the idolatry of identity—I’m not just a mother! In these heart-wrenching moments, when we sense a loss of freedom, God is bringing us to himself through our children. It is when we find ourselves acting like children, defiantly insisting on our own way, that God wants to meet us. His aim is to show us our sinful rebellion against his way and lead us to repentance and renewal.

With the outstretched arms of the Spirit and the Son, the Father calls us away from bitterness and despondency into the delightful refuge of communion with the Trinity. God wants to lead us from frustration into fellowship with him by showing us that we do not have what it takes and that we can not always get our own way. Through the frustrations of parenting, God seeks to magnify his sufficiency by releasing his redemptive power and love in and through us to bless us and our children. In those moments of weakness, he wants to give us his strength, knowing that we become true parents when we are truly dependent on him.