HEARING A MILLION VOICES. CLINGING TO ONE.
I tell you what, there are a lot of things in our world today that make parenting easier. In this category I put disposable diapers, dvd players on road trips and high efficiency, large capacity washing machines that clean 3 metric tons of laundry per load with just 6 drops of detergent. (Note to the moms with kick-booty washing machines: don’t be afraid to pause here and do a little dance of joy over that part. I know you want to. And it’s ok.) But, there are also things about our world that make being a parent more complicated and challenging. I am thinking specifically about the overwhelming communication overload that we face. In today’s culture we are inundated with non-stop messages in ways people have never experienced in human history. With the ever-growing empire of media and internet, there are countless voices speaking to us on every issue we face, and their messages are often conflicting and confusing.
The olden days were much different. And I believe that is the first time I have ever used the word “olden.” I imagine a few hundred years ago parenting consisted primarily of whoopin’s behind the barn and putting an axe in the hands of a child and making them chop wood. I’m not gonna say these were the golden ages of parenting, but they did have something going for them. I wonder what they would think if they could see the climate today- where, when you have an issue with your child, there are friends, tv and radio personalities, online articles, books and magazines telling you it’s everything from not enough structure to a gluten allergy to a social disorder to an energy blockage due to birth trauma. You might be thinking, “Sarah, nobody believes in energy blockages due to birth trauma” to which my response is, “You obviously have never spent any time in Los Angeles.”
Obviously I am not saying that all this information is bad. For the love of Pete, if your child has a gluten allergy, do not feed them gluten. What I am saying is that there are a ton of voices speaking into our world, and it is our responsibility to listen discerningly as we purposefully live by the singular voice that creates and sustains, that never changes or misleads, that speaks to us with unfailing love and absolute authority.
We can sometimes be deceived into thinking that there are all these decisions that are not spiritual decisions, choices that don’t involve Biblical principles so much as just common sense and personal preference. But what you let your kids watch on TV is a Biblical decision. How much money you spend decorating the nursery is a Biblical decision. Where you send your kids to school is a Biblical decision. What you discipline your kids for and how you do it is a Biblical decision. Not that there is a universal, exhaustive rule in Scripture that works the same way for all people when it comes to any of these things, but there is a Biblical voice on all these issues that must be explored or ignored. There may not be a verse in Scripture that says, “Parents, do not let not children under the age of 16 watch prime time television,” but Philippians 4:8 speaks. Psalm 101:2&3 speaks. Ephesians 5:11&12 speaks.
So here are a few questions to ask yourself as a test to see how you’re doing when it comes to living by the Master’s voice: How often is our home governed by God’s Word, as we hold it out to our children and teach them to view their world through its lens in specific ways? How many of our choices and rules in the home are based on our own ideas or the opinions of others, and how many could we explain to our children with a clear Biblical principle? How much time do we spend seeking out Biblical wisdom in relation to the time we spend seeking the advice and counsel from other resources? Our ability to parent wisely will not rise above our faithfulness to open His Word and apply its wisdom to our families. The only exception to this might be for those of you who are perhaps experiencing energy blockage due to birth trauma as an infant– no, not really. I am just kidding.– by Sarah Stehlik
NEXT STEPS
If you are not utilizing the Journey as a family, start now! Watermark Family Ministries has included discussion questions to help parents with younger children engage over the daily passages from the Gospels. You can sign up at jointhejourney.com.