Daily Devotions
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1:28
While my wife and I prepare to eat out for our anniversary, she is serving spaghetti to our three teenagers. It seems like just yesterday that they were infants. Who can forget the first shaky steps, the first children’s Christmas service, the first day on the school bus? How many Halloween parties, Little League baseball games, school programs, and gymnastic meets have we attended over the years?
Oh, the joys of a family! Yes, God made Adam and Eve one flesh and so provided intimate companionship. But to many couples God also gives the gift of children. Children bring added responsibility, more than a few headaches, and an emptier pocketbook, but they also bring warmth, love, and joy.
Childbearing implies child-rearing. Parenting is an awesome task. No room for absentee parents. No room for permissiveness. No room for child abuse. Much need for time with the children, both quality and quantity. Much need for patience and a listening ear. Much need for firm discipline and Christian values. Much need for modeling worship, caring, and sharing.
I know that we have fallen short as parents in many ways over the years. We confess our sins as parents even as we commend our three to God’s protective care. But we also recognize God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ and His gentle guiding of us in the parenting task. He lifts us up when we are discouraged, refreshes us with His good news, and shows us our children’s potential.
PRAYER: O Lord, we ask for Your blessings on children and parents. Help them to live in peace and to love one another. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988 CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one time emailing of this link to a friend. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)