Honoring the Gift of Parenthood in God’s Image
Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.
Psalm 127:3 NLT
We adopt concepts and principles of educating children that were articulated by Charlotte Mason such as respecting a child as a born person, teaching them habits, valuing relationships and the affirmation and commitment “I am, I can, I ought and I will.”
Charlotte Mason, painted by Frederic Yates, 1902
I ought to do His will
I can do what He tells me
And by His grace I will
SBA Elementary motto
I couple this with Jesus’ teaching that in the life that follows this one we will not relate to one another in the same manner that we do today.
The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
So too the second and third, down to the seventh.
After them all, the woman died.
In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Matthew 22:23-30 ESV (see also Mark 12:18 cf)
I arrive at the following conclusion.
The faithfulness of my children in their service of God and His kingdom will be rewarded. Through honoring God and serving Him they, like anyone else, may be granted authority in His kingdom.
I don’t know if they will know their Mother or me as their parents in the life-to-come but I try to raise them, honoring who they are in God’s image and performing my responsibility before God so that they will know me in the manner I loved them and how I taught them to understand, love, serve and worship God.
My decisions aren’t for them but in service to Jesus.
I hope that when we meet in His kingdom what remains of my life as their earthly father is something they recognize and we can mutually worship our God and King for choices we each made to submit to God, love, honor and obey Him in our current relationships.