Obedient Parents

"Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed."
---Psalm 112:1-2 New Living Translation

That is the Bible verse from my devotional this morning. It is quite awesome to be reminded that my fear of the Lord and my obedience to His commands directly affects the success of my children. Get this --- 'an entire generation of godly people will be blessed' --- WOW!

I can't help but tie this Bible verse in to the book I'm reading --- Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. Last night, I came to this portion in the book, which is sort of a summary of what the author pictures a grace-based family would look like:

"Grace provides equilibrium for a family. Where too many parents are concerned with how others view their children, grace-based parents are more excited with how God views their children. Grace-based parents avoid the silly preoccupations with arbitrary standards devised by evangelical busybodies. They keep their eye on the bubble in the level, which is their children's character. To them, keeping their children balanced when it comes to their faith, integrity, poise, discipline, endurance, and courage makes more sense than worrying about whether others think their children look spiritual enough (whatever that means). They don't make it a crime for their children to be different, to be oddballs, or to boogie to a different drumbeat. In the process, they encourage their children to find the unique individual that God designed them to be through an intimate and authentic relationship with Christ.

Grace-based parents realize that their children need security in their hearts, significance in their lives, and strength for the future.

Grace-based parenting is not a checklist for parenting; it's a lifestyle. It's a clear attempt to retrofit your minds to respond to your children in the same way God responds to you. Being different, vulnerable, and candid isn't something you do as a grace-based family; it's something you are."

May I be bold, intentional and courageous in my obedience to God, not only in striving to be the parent that He desires me to be, but in all areas of my life as well. It is my prayer and my utmost desire that, through my obedience, my children will reap the benefits of a life that is blessed!