(Eph 6:4 NKJV) And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
There are many different ways that we, as parents, can provoke our children. The verse above mentions fathers specifically, but this can be applied to mothers also.
We can provoke them directly, with antagonizing or harsh words, or abusive treatment. But we can also provoke them with some of the things that we don’t do.
We can provoke them by not spending time with them, by not paying attention to them, not being there when they need us, not showing them and giving them the love they deserve, etc.
Being a parent is a privilege, not a right. Our children are a blessing from God and we need to be sure we’re treating them that way! It’s way too easy to skip out on our responsibilities in today’s world, with so much time spent working.
But we can also skip out by spending too much time playing… time in front of the computer, on the smart phone, on the golf course, on the boat, in church, in ministry, and the list goes on.
God has given us priorities and they go like this: God, Spouse, Children, Work, etc. Our children are in the top 3, so we need to be careful not to let them slip into the bottom 3! It’s easy to do and sometimes we need a gentle nudge to remind us or to wake us up.
Love your children with everything in you, even when they get under your skin. We have one shot at raising each one of them, so we need to make it count!
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-377-5400
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