There are some seriously tough jobs out there! (Mike Rowe, who hosted the television show, “Dirty Jobs,” would likely call that an understatement!) From coal mining to sewer cleaning to prison wardens, there are certain jobs in this world that just take a little more courage, stamina and prayer-power to accomplish.
Add to that list (and just go ahead and put it at the top of the “tough jobs” list) the job of parenting! It is certainly a job that takes courage, stamina and prayer-power! And, as all parents would agree, no two parenting jobs are alike. It is not true about children that “when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”! Each child is unique, which makes each parenting job unique!
But, here’s some good news! I’m going to tell you how to make your parenting job easier! I did not say, “make it easy.” It’s not easy. But, here are some keys to making the challenge of raising kids easier.
Raising kids is easier when done in a Christian home. In a Christian home, there are God-given values, morals and rules that govern the lives and decisions of those in the home. When we live by God’s standards, then we don’t have to make up our own as we go along. When godliness, righteousness, prayer and Bible reading permeate the daily activities of the home, raising kids is so much easier!
Raising kids is easier when present for every church service. Sometimes it is might not be easy to get the kids ready (and yourself ready) to get to church three times a week, but when our weekly calendars have three permanent commitments and everything else in our lives must be scheduled around those fixtures, raising kids is so much easier!
Raising kids is easier when they’re regularly around other Christians. The influence of the world and our ungodly culture makes it difficult to raise spiritually-minded children, but when we have Christian friends and when we surround our kids with our Christian friends, raising kids is so much easier!
Raising kids is easier when the church family is at the heart of our lives. How can people in the world raise their kids without the church family? Who do they point to as worthy examples to follow? Who do they go to for sound advice? Who do they trust unequivocally with the lives of their children? I shudder at the potential answers to those questions! If the church family is truly an integral part of who we are and what we do, raising kids is so much easier!
Parenting is a challenging job! But, faithful Christians have found a way to make raising kids easier! If you’re missing one of these keys, you’re making it harder on yourself!