Modeling truth for our children

Parenting is serious business. There’s always a mixture of pain and pleasure in the entire experience. As I grapple with my responsibilities here, I’m beginning to understand what my parents had to put up with.

My 9yr old son Ed has been asking some very interesting questions lately.

“Before God created heaven and the earth, where was He staying?”

“Ed, I asked Him the same question some years ago and He didn’t tell me so I stopped asking Him.”

“Are the Four Beasts in heaven mentioned in the book of Revelation aliens?”

“I don’t know, I’m still reading my Bible to understand it better. When I do, I will tell you. I think you should watch less of Ben-10 Alien force cartoons and spend more time reading your books.”

“Dad, will there be children in heaven?”

“Of course!”

“Dad, will there be children in hell?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not, there are some very bad boys in my class?”

“What makes them bad?” I asked.

“They hit me and tell lies and steal and…”

“Well, that’s bad but they don’t know what they are doing, so God will forgive them.”

“But you spank me when I do the same things.”

“Do I spank you all the time when you do wrong?” “No dad.”

“Dad, so every child will go to heaven?” “Yes!”

“That means there’ll be more children in heaven than adults.”

“Why did you say that?” I asked.

“Adults know what they are doing but we children don’t, so God will forgive us or what do you think?”

“I guess you’re right.”

I paused to ponder; have I given this boy the right perspectives to these very interesting questions? But more than right answers to knotty questions is modeling a godly lifestyle. Am I modeling truth for my boys?

In his blogs here and here, Seth Barnes Jr. talks about his parents.

“My dad also sacrificed himself for my sisters and me. He set up dates with us to make us feel special, he played football with me every single day before dinner for years; he encouraged me to discover truth…”

“My mom has a true mother’s heart. She gives and gives and gives. She absolutely loved raising her children. She regularly spends herself cooking wonderful meals. She plans events, consistently thinks of others above herself, seeks the Lord with all her heart, and supports a very busy husband all the while.”

What are your children learning from you? What do they observe as your treasures? What do they hear you pray for? What passion oozes out of your life that influences their choices and motivates their behavior? Do they see a different you at home and another you at church?

How God-centered are your priorities, do your kids share them? Are you really modeling truth for them?

What do you think about this video clip?