HEALTHY POSITIVE PARENTING

“Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us…” – Jeremiah 35:8a

Another major contributor to Health and Well-being is HEALTHY POSITIVE PARENTING: “Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us…” (Jer.35:8a). Jonadab invested in the lives of his children, instilling God’s Word into their hearts and lives. Generations after, his name and instructions were still fresh in their hearts, they could not disobey his Word! A child is not an accident, but a gift from God, a blessing to the family, and a unique blend of husband and wife that adds colour to the marriage union: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psa.127:3).  But they must be molded skilfully and tenderly to become battle axes in God’s hands. Although there is no readymade manual, God’s Word gives sound instructions for positive parenting.

God’s purpose for blessing us with children is not only to replenish the earth, but because He seeks a godly seed: “But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? HE SEEKS GODLY OFFSPRING…” (Mal.2:15a). The Healthy Home is the best environment to raise godly seeds. We must not fail God in our responsibility towards our children, such that even when they relocate to places where we as parents cannot be physically, the fear of the Lord implanted in their hearts and the knowledge of God’s Word will keep them intact and vibrant.

The greatest inheritance we can leave for our children is a good upbringing, not wealth, houses, cars or other possessions: “Train us a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Pro.22:6). God instructed Israel: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut.6: 6-7). Parental responsibility must not be shifted to others. There is no better person to train a child like the parents.

Parents’ covenant responsibility is to train up their children in the fear of God. Each child has spiritual, emotional, physical, and other needs. The time invested in meeting these is never lost. The spiritual need is to establish a personal relationship with God and grow in His knowledge. Emotional needs include being loved and valued, such that children have no cause to seek for love and attention from strange quarters. Parenting is a personal, non-transferable responsibility: “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother…Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul” (Pro.29:15,17).

Biblical Models of Positive Parenting include: Abraham, whose example God attested to (Gen.18:17-19); Jochebed, Moses’ mother who preserved his cherished baby-son (Exo.2:2; 6:20); Jonadab, the father of the Rechabites (Jer.35: 2-17); and the pair of Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother (2Tim.1:5). Each of these raised up children God could use for His Glory. In contrast, Eli tasted shame due to poor parenting (1Sam.4:11,18). When we fulfil our covenant obligations to train our children up in the way of the Lord, they operate as signs and wonders on earth: “Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders…” (Isa.8:18a).

God is counting on covenant parents who are awake to their responsibility to raise godly seeds to His Praise. We do this as we stand on foundational truths, that: God owns our children (Psa.127:3); parenting is a divine commandment that demands diligence, creativity, and consistency (Deut.6:6-7); and it’s a seed – and investment that’ll be rewarded. Parenting is the process of fashioning our children to become like arrows in the hands of a mighty man, to still the enemy and avenger (Psa.8:2; 127:4-5). In practising the art of parenting, an ounce of example is worth a ton of preaching! It is exemplary!