Proverbs and Parenting

Last Sunday, October 14th, Pastor Jong preached about Parenting, according to Proverbs. As soon as I heard the word “parenting”, I was almost ready to tune out from the sermon, simply because parenting was so far out of reach for me. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and instead, I opened my ears and heart to the preaching. Pastor Jong’s preaching made me realize that parenting is even more difficult than being parented.

I would be the first to admit that I was far from easy to raise, especially as a teenager. My mom used to schedule weekly Bible studies, send me verses through text, and come into my room just to pray for me. As she fulfilled her duties as a Godly parent, in return, I complained about it. In retrospect, I really do appreciate my mom’s persistence in teaching me who Jesus is. It truly takes a lot of courage and patience for parents to get through to teenagers, especially when it’s so easy for teenagers to tune out.

One thing that stood out to me in the preaching was when Pastor Jong emphasized nurturing and its importance in parenting. Often times, when we refer to Christian parenting, we automatically associate it with discipline, but what we forget or don’t see is the role that nurturing plays in Christian parenting. One verse that has always stuck by me is Proverbs 22:6, which says:

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

If my mom had not nurtured me with the word of God, then I wouldn’t know Jesus or be who I am today. If she did not so persistently and fervently pray over me, I would still complain instead of being thankful. Sometimes, we really have to take a look at the other side to truly be appreciative of our parents. We should be thankful for all the sacrifices and commitments that make for us daily as their children.

Whether from a child’s point of view or a parent’s, we all need to take into account our relationship with God. From this, we need to let all our earthly relationships reflect that because only God can show us what true love and nurturing is.