“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”–Matthew 5:48
Parenting is a topic often on my mind. It’s a huge responsibility, greater than anyone could ever imagine. The spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional
health of a precious human being is at stake! When I reflect about becoming a parent someday, I’m filled with great joy. It’s one of the biggest dreams of my life. However, the reality sinks in that I am very much still a person “in process.” What is the prominent way that children learn character? By observing their parents–both their actions and whether their words make sense with the reality of their actions. When you become a parent, you’re going to have little eyes and ears observing everything you do and say. That goes for even when you don’t expect it. How can I expect a child to turn out a certain way when I myself am living in a different way? If my character isn’t matching what I hope the character of my child will match…How will I teach them? The good news is, we have God’s grace. Even in spite of our shortcomings, God’s grace can work in all circumstances. It’s still working on me, and will be each day until I die. I’ll never be a perfect parent–no parent on earth will be.
Yet, I had a very important realization: I can continually learn from THE perfect and best parent: our Heavenly Father! As I grow into a deeper relationship with God and come to know more and Who He is, I learn from His character. As I journey closer and closer (walking by faith) to the day that I become a parent, I’m going to look at His character and see more of the type of parent I want to be. Most of all, I pray that I can give any child, any person that comes into my life, a glimpse into His deep love and Who He really is.
Sunflower Sojourn 
Our perfect example is God almighty, the best parent so far and forever!
Amen! What a gift that is.
A great gift indeed!
I always love reading your work.
Thank you for reading! I’m so glad to hear that you are happy to read it. I do appreciate your faithful readership.
Amen! I’ve found that becoming a parent has almost been like its own examination of conscience-because I’m continually forced to look at what I’m saying and doing, and asking myself if it’s something worth imitating-and if not, trying to be good about changing those words or that behavior.
I guess that having kids is a path to sanctification! It causes you to be much more intentional in every way.
Thank God for His grace! Parenting, more than any other experience in my life, has shown me just how imperfect I am. I grow so much from watching my kids and from seeing how I need to improve when I make mistakes with them.
It’s beautiful how God can use such tiny little human beings to teach us so much about ourselves and life in general!