A Biblical View of Parenting

Today I started the morning by listening to Pastor Brad Rud's podcast of his past week's sermon about Biblical parenting.  The title is mine.  I am attaching the link, but it is currently not readily available.  Hopefully you can easily find it, and I'll correct the link as I check back to see if it is fixed.

http://www.crossingtonewlife.org/site/podcast.htm

The sermon was compelling, and a nice summary of material from Tedd Tripp's book Shepherding a Child's Heart, though not presented as such.  They both use Biblical principles, and Scriptural mandates on how to lovingly discipline our children.  I was convicted and motivated by it, because we have had trouble with Shana, disciplining her in such a way that she understands the Biblical mandate that parents are to train up their children to love and honor God first and foremost, and parents secondmost.  She has resisted the rod, and we have acquiesced...too many times.

I first repent of having done this.  I was really convicted by the sermon that we need to rein in our children and ensure that they understand the proper position of authority in the home, and that parents are accountable to God for ensuring their children are raised up to honor and obey God by learning to honor and obey their parents.

The second aspect of his sermon we are starting to see need of in our home.  We are really in need of  removing negative influences.  I just recently got a smartphone, and that's #1 on my list.  I'm removing it from proximity, and kids can only use it in supervised fashion as a privilege.  But really, at 5 and 2, that should be almost never.  So, you can tell how not stern I am.  I need some conviction/structure to put my own foot down.  He even covered dating and music, with which we are not dealing yet, but we certainly will come across.  He said that children should not be able to turn on any electronic device unless (a) the parent consents, and (b) the parent knows exactly what content is covered by the child.  This is really good.  We need to hold off in this area as LONG as possible.

I think that I'm coming at the whole idea of sturdy boundaries a little late in the game and am praying for grace in this area.  I am so bad about hedging things to "avoid a fight."  It's gotten us to where we are, in a situation where I can't say I trust Shana all the time.  She is doing better today than yesterday, but there are enough times when she is disobedient at home.  I am too, but I even need to repent of that and ask God to make me willing to be willing to be joyfully obedient to Him the first time, immediately.  That is the hope I have for my children, and should be my own hope as well.