Fascinating

I’m often fascinated by and enjoy watching God’s beautiful creation. Just outside my office window are two gorgeous magnolia trees. These trees sit about eight feet apart and are nearly the exact size and shape. (I presume they were planted at the same time.) Even though they sit in the same soil and receive the same nutrients, they don’t bloom at the same time—fascinating.

The same can be true of our children. Children develop physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually at individual paces. Isn’t it fascinating that children can be born into this world with similar genetics and be raised in the same environment, yet develop differently?

In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 the apostle Paul was writing to Christ followers in the early church to clearly define the rolls of those in leadership. Because parents are leaders in their households, these verses provide many lessons for us as parents. Paul writes: What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

•  The Lord appoints each parent, as His servant, to the task of raising their children according to the will of Christ Jesus.
• Although parenting is a God-sized appointment, we can humbly embrace it, trusting God to enable us in every way to accomplish His will.
• While parents are charged with nurturing their children in God’s Word and encouraging their spiritual development, only God can create spiritual growth.
• Parents ought to be ever mindful of their roll and responsibility is to continually plant seeds of truth and nurture them in their children’s lives, leaving the results where they belong, with God.
• God will bring other people into our children’s lives that will also water, or nurture them in His Word.
• Because only God creates spiritual growth in the lives of children, all glory belongs to Him.