Or, as the King James Version translates it,
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
This reminder that we are to see God as our example in familial relationships is a timely one. So much of my work with adoptive families involves teaching against old “Christian” methods of parenting. It is reassuring to remember that we are to parent as God parents: give our children good things, but not so much that it isn’t good for them; discipline them when they do things that are disrespectful or dangerous, but always with a heart that is for them, not a hand that is against them; teach them where they are and walk with them to where they can be; love them enough to say no, and love them so much they get tired of hearing it. There is also a powerful call to fatherly leadership inthis verse, and it needs to be said. So often in modern families, and particularly in adoptive families, the mothers are leading the charge. In this verse, Paul reminds us that fathers should be interacting with their children too, as much as God interacts with us (a tall order!).
This reminder that we are to see God as our example in familial relationships is a timely one. So much of my work with adoptive families involves teaching against old “Christian” methods of parenting. It is reassuring to remember that we are to parent as God parents: give our children good things, but not so much that it isn’t good for them; discipline them when they do things that are disrespectful or dangerous, but always with a heart that is for them, not a hand that is against them; teach them where they are and walk with them to where they can be; love them enough to say no, and love them so much they get tired of hearing it. There is also a powerful call to fatherly leadership inthis verse, and it needs to be said. So often in modern families, and particularly in adoptive families, the mothers are leading the charge. In this verse, Paul reminds us that fathers should be interacting with their children too, as much as God interacts with us (a tall order!).
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