require their children to obey or have self-control. This lack of vision for instilling the character God wants us to have, has created a generation that is miserable.
How can I say they are miserable? When I see a child completely
loose it at the store because their parent won’t buy them that something in a shiny box that caught their eye, I think, that child is miserable.
They are not reacting to an unmet need; they are reacting to not knowing how to be when not completely self-indulged. Children need guidance to overcome their natural reaction of self-indulgence, to appreciate the peace that comes with self-control.
Titus 2:9 “Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,”
No, children are not slaves, yet each of them will at some point hold a job. Being under authority is something each of us is called to. Whether it is babysitting (mommy practice) or a career, we must be subject to those in authority over us.
As parents we need to look ahead for our children and see how to
prepare them for what is to come. What better way to do this than to have them live out these skills within our home?
It is a parent’s choice:
We can teach our children to be subject to us (obedience) or allow them to ignore us until we are fed up and yell at them.
We can teach our children to try to please us or allow them to slip
through life doing the absolute minimum they can get away with.
We can teach them not to talk back or allow them to argue and debate until we are so wore down we stop requiring anything of them.
God’s plan is for us to TEACH our children the way they should go. When we as parents live in obedience to God, desire to please Him in our parenting and stop making excuses, then this miserable generation will truly become a productive, purposeful, God honoring people.