First Comes God, Then Comes Joy

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created."

Revelations 4:11

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright.

For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

Psalm 33:1,21

A Christian’s chief goal in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, the key to a blessed family life begins and ends with this primary truth.

My sons, Torre and Michael, were ages 3 and 1. Torre was sweet and compliant, making me believe that I could truly be nominated Mother of the Year.  When Michael came along, he was so sweet, so generous, and so unbelievably impulsive, often times resulting in disobedience.  This was a quick fix for any delusion regarding my position as Mother of the Year (thank you, Michael! Truly!!), and it led me to beg God for His wisdom in parenting, coupled with enough mercy just to get me through the next 5 minutes without sinning against my son or my God!  This is where I should have started my parenting journey!  Suddenly, I was aware that my views on parenting seemed feeble at best.  My confidence as a mother vanished like the hot steam rising from my constantly refilled cup of coffee! I was exhausted, baffled, and suddenly finding myself wondering why God had trusted me with motherhood!   I knew I would be lost in "the expert's" vast theories and personal and unproven convictions if I did not seek out completely biblical instruction for my parenting. So I resisted all the highly recommended secular parenting books and advice, and began to search the Bible for my answers, finding applicable truths on a daily basis.  It also helped greatly that a small parade of godly theologians had marched this road ahead of me, writing biblically sound books on Christian parenting. Though I had not been an avid reader in the past, I now found myself almost inhaling the biblical advice of God's Word and these Truth-driven parenting authors. Three decades later, with 3 precious children established in their adult lives, I am blessed and overcome by the grace God lavished on our family in order to direct our path as His children.  Trust me! I still did not parent perfectly!  But, as I look back at all the ups and downs, the most direct and effective words of advice were and still are… this: Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  I believe I said this at least daily, if not many times daily.  

As you begin this day of parenting, start with your Bible.  Make the effort to know God more.  Ask Him to help you understand who He is in all His majesty, His authority, His ownership over you and your family, and His ability to accomplish His plan for your lives.  Let that sink in, and then consider how you can glorify and truly enjoy Him in your day through acts and attitudes of gratitude, appreciation, submission, and joy.  Go so far as to make a plan of action for you and your littles.  Biblical parenting is not about a system or a list of dos and don’ts.  It’s about your heart and your children's hearts as you look to your humble Savior and trust Him with His Word and His ways in your parenting.  Your prayer for this will begin that process. He will honor your heart's desire to make Him the focus of your day, above all else, including your children. You are likely to see an immediate change in how you approach and respond to your little ones.  How you direct them in love, and how you take sheer joy in the position of motherhood, as a product of your position as His highly esteemed and treasured child.

Prayer:

Lord, you are our Creator. You love me, and you love my/your children even more than I do. I will praise you and thank you for your faithfulness and grace! I will spend my day focused on you, with an attitude of joy and praise despite any of my circumstances, because of your glory, honor, and power! I trust you with the ups and downs.  I will trust all the details of my day to You, because I trust in Your holy name!  

Lord, may I glorify You and enjoy You forever!  

Amen

By Sharon Cannavo

If you are interested in learning more about biblical parenting for your family, please join us in a Training Hearts for Jesus biblical parenting class online.