Complaining again?
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Matthew 23
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That’s embarrassing!
I was talking with a 10-year-old girl recently, and I asked her what frustrates her most about her parents. She said, “I really hate it when my mom embarrasses me in front of everybody, then laughs about it, rather than apologizes. And then, she gets upset with me when I embarrass her.” The words “Do as I say, not as I do” come to mind. Is it right? Of course not. While there are a lot of us parents who enjoy laughing, we shouldn’t do it at the expense of our kids. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up” (ESV). Is our talk or actions building up or tearing down? As Christians, we need to be an example, not a problem.
Parents need guts.
One of the saddest parenting stories in the Bible is the one about Eli the priest in 1 Samuel 2. The Bible says his sons were scoundrels. They were greedy and immoral. What did Eli do? He talked to them. God judged Eli for not using his authority to restrain these guys. Now, we’ve all seen situations when parents feared their kids so much that they never did anything to actually parent them. Remember: it’s in a child’s job description to oppose our authority at times, and some kids will do this more than others. But it’s in our job description to courageously take a stand and lovingly insist on obedience. God will reward your parental initiative. What’s at stake? Potentially your child’s eternity. Be strong.
YouTube is drawing millions.
In 2005, the first YouTube video was uploaded by its co-founders: high school kids in California, Jawed Karim and Yakov Lapitsky. Now, little did they know their eighteen-second video at the zoo would attract millions, if not billions, of people. What does this have to do with parenting? Well, do you think for a minute their parents thought that their kids would make YouTube a household name? Probably not. We need to encourage our kids to use their imaginations. When they have an idea, encourage their thinking. Don’t tell them it’ll never work. A lot of times as parents, we can be so stuck in a rut that we expect everybody around us to do it our way. Ephesians tells us to encourage and be kind to one another.
Rules or worship?
For outsiders looking at Christians, we’ve got a lot of rules. There are the Ten Commandments, Sermon on the Mount, how to treat people, what to do in a marriage, how kids are supposed to treat parents, etc. But according to 2 Corinthians 5:14, “The love of Christ constrains us,” conforming us to be like Him (MEV). They become acts of worship. Are we teaching our kids that the rules we have in our homes aren’t only to protect us from danger but can be acts of worship? I’ll be honest—I haven’t done this very well. I’ve been more dogmatic about, “These are my rules. You better obey them while you’re in my house” rather than, “These are life-forming policies that will remind us of our need for Christ in our lives.”
Communication filters. What are they?
Most of us have communication filters. It’s something in your head that prevents you from saying what’s on your mind because you knew if you did, it wouldn’t be good. You could offend somebody. It might be incorrect, requiring a little more thought. A lot of kids—and a few adults, for that matter—are missing this filter. It can cause a lot of hurt. I’ve heard kids verbally assault their parents with unfiltered words and then respond with, “What? It’s true!” Do you have a child like this? Training time—pull them aside and ask them how they’d like it if ALL the bad, truthful things in their lives were talked about openly. Then, point them to Ephesians 4:15: “Speak the truth in LOVE.” Then, make sure you’re leading by example.
Being right with the Lord is important.
Most of our broadcasts have focused on Christian parents. But you may not be one. When I write each Parent Minute, I try to focus on some biblical truth that can help us wisely raise our kids, but if you don’t know Christ, you’re missing the most important ingredient—our heavenly Father who gives us wisdom when we ask. Respond to God’s call on your life. I like how John Piper says it, “A Christian…recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, as God manifested in the flesh, loving us and dying for our redemption”—then we “make the will of Christ the rule of [our] obedience, and the glory of Christ the great end for which [we] live.”1 Come to Him today. 1 “What Is a Christian?” by John Piper, DesiringGod.org
I love to laugh. You?
Once a week, I post a “Funny Kids” post on the Keys for Kids Facebook page. The stories of what kids say—priceless. One story that comes to mind is a little boy who was leaving a church service one Sunday. The pastor was at the back of the auditorium greeting people. The little boy reached deep into his pocket and handed the pastor three quarters. The pastor said, “Would you like me to put that in the offering for you?” The little boy said, “Nope. It’s for you.” The pastor said, “Oh, but why are you giving me money?” “Because,” the little boy said, “my Dad says you’re the poorest preacher he’s ever heard.” Lesson? Be careful what you say around kids. Laughter—it’s great medicine.
Discipline. It’s never easy.
Are you the disciplinarian in your family? My guess is you have to be at some point in time. I seem to be the guy in my family. Almost every time I have to do something punitive to discipline, I feel terrible. Whether I’m taking away privileges, using reality discipline, or corporal punishment, I always seem to come away from it feeling beaten up and the bad guy. How does God feel about discipline? The author of Hebrews says discipline is God treating us as sons: “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (12:7 ESV). It goes on to say that if you’re not disciplined, you’re illegitimate. When you face the need to discipline your child, remember you’re reminding them whose they are. Hopefully, they’ll see Whose YOU are by the way you do it.
Easter means Jesus wins!
Resurrection Sunday isn't just a happy ending, it's the victory! Jesus didn't just rise from the dead, He defeated death, Satan, and proved every promise of Scripture true. Jesus said beforehand, "The Son of Man must be killed and after three days rise again." He did exactly that. Please tell your kids this: if Jesus stayed in the grave, Christianity would be a nice story, but because He rose, it's the truth. The resurrection means sin is paid for and believers have eternal life. The empty tomb reminds us that we don't follow a memory, we follow a living Savior. Resurrection Sunday gives the final answer to fear: Jesus wins forever.
Kids love to fight. Do you?
I’m sure you’ve seen it. You’re in the mall, and there’s a family, and the kids are at each other’s throats. They’re teasing and hitting each other. You wonder, "Why isn’t that mom doing something about it?" Then, all of a sudden, she springs into action—but she’s almost as bad as the kids are. Then, you think to yourself, "Hmmm, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree." You’re right. That proverbial apple we’re producing will be just like us. Are we in or out of God’s Word every day? Are we calm in a crisis, or are we a screamer? Do we focus on the good or the bad? Paul said it best: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NASB).