As I was driving around the other day I began to think about fatherhood. My two oldest children will turn 12 in a couple of days and it has me in a reflective state of mind.
Here are these two pre-teens that I have nurtured and disciplined, loved and cherished for the last twelve years and I the question that comes to my mind is “Am I doing a good enough job?”
Of course only time will answer that question but it is one worth thinking about (and one that more parents should consider) because if we don’t take pause to evaluate what we are doing we can never improve.
So I began considering our Heavenly Father.
And I came to a very quick conclusion
I do NOT want to raise my children the same as God raises His!
I know that is shocking but hear me out.
I have a few goals as a parent. These goals are modest and are by no means revolutionary and most parents would probably agree that they are sensible. In addition, there are traits I want my children to develop but these traits are not the goal they are a means to an end. A few of these traits are
1. I want my children to grow in their faith
2. I want my children to learn to think for themselves
3. I want my children to become responsible
I nurture my children and discipline them in order to teach these traits. Eventually, the application of these traits will lead to the accomplishment of the goals I have.
1. My children will become self sufficient, independent adults
2. My children will establish their own lives
3. My children will have their own families
My goal is to raise my children and send them out.
Our Heavenly Father does not have the same goals
Yes He disciplines us
Yes He nurtures us
Yes He teaches us to be strong minded
Yes He teaches us to be responsible
But His GOALS? They are NOTHING like mine.
God does not raise His children to be independent nor does He raise them to establish themselves apart from Him. No, quite the opposite, everything our Father does is to make His children MORE dependent on HIM and to bring ALL of His children BACK to HIS home.
Earthly fathers raise their children to send out. Our Heavenly Father raises His children to be drawn back in
