|
By: Trina Titus Lozano
There is no quick and easy way to rear a child. It takes eighteen years of constant work to get one into presentable enough shape so that you can  proudly release them into the “real world.” Pastor Ed Young says, “You must get under the things that God puts over you, so that you can get over the things that God puts under you.” This was an “Ed Line” that he used over and over again in a recent series at Fellowship Church called, Authority Issues. To understand the importance of Authority as it is clearly established in the scripture, turn to Hebrews 5:7-8. Jesus was reverently submitted to his Father God (under His authority) so that He could be designated by God to bring eternal salvation and become the High Priest. (Jesus was over, we are under).I must be under the authority of God and my husband, so that I can become the authority for my children. Webster’s definition, authority: The power and right to command. Our responsibility as parents is to accept the “power to command.”I teach bi-weekly at the Fort Worth detention center. This is jail for kids from 12-16. They are held here until they learn that they must submit to the authority of the law. You can know for sure that they were never taught at home to submit to the authority of their parents and this is where it got them. Guaranteed, their parents also have “authority issues.” How sad.My children learned as infants that I was the boss, the commander. As the mom, I have the power and the right. I have the power to feed you on a schedule, to choose what, where and how you eat. I have the power to determine your bedtime. I have the power to choose what you wear as an infant and I keep that power all the way through your teen years. Yep, that’s right. My son is a “rocker” with no piercing or tattoo’s, because his dad and I have the power and the right to determine his appearance. Both of our daughter’s dress modestly, because we have the power. We are submitted to the Authority of the Word and therefore, our children must submit to us. “What do you want, sweetie?” a new mom asks her baby. Well, we all know that the newborn hasn’t developed the analytical skills necessary to fully and completely determine the differences between a like and a dislike. Yet, as parents, we already begin to tune in to what we think the child wants, and adjust our own behavior accordingly- for the sake of “happiness”, that is. Keep ‘em happy is the concept and we are deceiving ourselves thinking that we are doing a good job parenting. Scripture is very clear. Happiness can lead to selfishness, and selfishness (or pride as the Word often calls it) comes before a fall, only breeds quarrels, is deceiving, leaves no room for God (Prov. 16:18, Prov. 13:10, Jeremiah 49:16, Psalm 10:3-5) and on and on and on. Happiness is no substitute for holiness. Hold on to the reins of your authority as you embrace each stage of parenting. Establishing the right authority structure in your home is the first key to raising spiritually sensitive children. A good rule of thumb is to meet all of their needs and half of their wants. A is for Authority. B is for Believe…read about it next time.
|
|
| |
