Be Responsible for Your Children
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25)
As a parent, you are responsible for your children. That might sound like an obvious statement, but in today’s culture, it can be very tempting for parents to share the responsibility of raising their children. Some people look to the schools to help raise their children. Others look to the church or to a counselor. While these are groups of people who can influence our children, we have to realize that raising our children is solely our responsibility as parents.
One of the best ways we can be responsible for our children is to be there for them. For example, let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was consistently involved in Jesus’ entire life. She even played a significant role in His ministry. For instance, consider the time when she encouraged her Son to turn water into wine at a wedding they were both attending. (John 2:1-11) At the end of Jesus’ life, Mary followed Him all the way to the cross, standing by while He died right before her eyes.
Actually, this was a very dangerous thing for Mary to do. During that time period, anyone who publicly identified with a person who was under an order of execution by the Roman government set themselves up to be arrested, as well. There was a risk in following Jesus to the cross, but Mary did it anyway. Why? Because she realized, as His mother, she was responsible for her Son. That meant being there for Him, even if she had to put her own life at risk.
You don’t have to do anything special to be there for your children; you just have to show up. The greatest ministry you can do for your children is the ministry of presence. By spending time with your children, you will have more opportunities to pour into them and develop them. You can have conversations with them about their faith and their walk with the Lord. It is extremely important that you take this time to invest in them. When they are adults, you can trust that God will bring to harvest the seeds you have planted in their hearts and in their lives.
What steps are you taking to be there for your children? How are you investing in their lives? Ask the Lord to help you either begin or continue to take responsibility for your children and to help them grow to be more like Christ.
As a parent, you are responsible for your children. That might sound like an obvious statement, but in today’s culture, it can be very tempting for parents to share the responsibility of raising their children. Some people look to the schools to help raise their children. Others look to the church or to a counselor. While these are groups of people who can influence our children, we have to realize that raising our children is solely our responsibility as parents.
One of the best ways we can be responsible for our children is to be there for them. For example, let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was consistently involved in Jesus’ entire life. She even played a significant role in His ministry. For instance, consider the time when she encouraged her Son to turn water into wine at a wedding they were both attending. (John 2:1-11) At the end of Jesus’ life, Mary followed Him all the way to the cross, standing by while He died right before her eyes.
Actually, this was a very dangerous thing for Mary to do. During that time period, anyone who publicly identified with a person who was under an order of execution by the Roman government set themselves up to be arrested, as well. There was a risk in following Jesus to the cross, but Mary did it anyway. Why? Because she realized, as His mother, she was responsible for her Son. That meant being there for Him, even if she had to put her own life at risk.
You don’t have to do anything special to be there for your children; you just have to show up. The greatest ministry you can do for your children is the ministry of presence. By spending time with your children, you will have more opportunities to pour into them and develop them. You can have conversations with them about their faith and their walk with the Lord. It is extremely important that you take this time to invest in them. When they are adults, you can trust that God will bring to harvest the seeds you have planted in their hearts and in their lives.
What steps are you taking to be there for your children? How are you investing in their lives? Ask the Lord to help you either begin or continue to take responsibility for your children and to help them grow to be more like Christ.
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2 Comments
A godly women said to me your ministry begins in your home. My son's weren't perfect and neither was I.
I did seek Jesus many times.
HE will always be there walking with us.
Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it"
When I was raising my children, I thought the school and the church would help me raise my boys more than they did. Because when I was a child they had more of an influence on me than when my boys were young. It is true that they do want you to be there for them. And they want you to guide them in the right direction.