As we approach this season of thanksgiving I’m reminded once again of all the blessings God has bestowed upon me. I know I don’t deserve any of them, but I am so thankful for them. Today I want to focus on the gratitude I have to God for my parents.
I want to thank God for my parents who loved Him and chose to teach me and my siblings who God is and how to have eternal life through Jesus. My Dad was a teacher and He taught me many lessons in school and at home, but the most important lesson was how to give my life to Jesus and be forgiven of my sins. Mom and Dad believed the Bible and used it as a guideline to train us. Disobedience was not tolerated. If we didn’t obey there would be consequences. We were taught to respect them without question. Whining, talking back, and deliberate disobedience were all grounds for spankings, and I was the stubborn one, so I got my fair share.
Yes, I said spankings. I know that is not a popular means of punishment today, but it is biblical, and done right it works. God was the one who gave us this guideline, yet we want to believe we have a better way. Proverbs 22:15 teaches us that “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” God gives parents the responsibility and the duty of training their children. Proverbs, 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Each child will be different and will need different levels and amounts of punishment. For instance, my sister was a more compliant child, and it took very little spanking to change her behavior. However, I was stubborn and strong-willed and did not give in so easily. As a 10-year-old girl, there was a time when I felt I was right and justified in my behavior so I had determined prior to my spanking that I would not cry. With each strike of the switch on my legs my rebellion grew, finally, my will broke, and I cried and asked for forgiveness. I didn’t understand the biblical principle, but my Dad did. He was breaking my will. If he had only spanked a certain amount and stopped before I cried, he would have only made me mad which could lead to bitterness and more rebellion. Too many parents today don’t love their children enough to properly train them. This type of parenting will only make it harder for them to obey God as they get older. They are setting their children up for failure and a life of questioning God about everything. This kind of asking is not for understanding, it is a questioning that says “why” as if God had no right to allow certain things in their life.
Proverbs 23:12-14 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.”
My parents taught me respect for God and for others. We sat in church and listened. There were no snacks or toys to keep us quiet. There was my mom on one side and on the other side was my dad. I don’t remember having to be taken out for discipline because I wouldn’t behave in church, but I was told it did happen. By the time we were 3 years old we knew church was a place to sit reverently or there would be consequences. Hebrews reminds us that discipline isn’t pleasant, but it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Did I like being punished, absolutely not! However, now I am very thankful for it.
Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
In training us there were not just rules and discipline. There was lots of love and laughter. This also is an example of how our heavenly Father deals with us. He loves us infinitely and in Him, there is joy, and laughter that is good for the soul. When we are in fellowship with Him, we will have a joyful heart that longs to bask in His presence.
Proverbs 17:22a “A joyful heart is good medicine”
They taught us how to work. Laziness was not acceptable. It was also a biblical principle. All throughout the bible laziness is noted as sinful. In II Thessalonians 3:10, if a man will not work then he should not be given food to eat. In Colossians 3:23, Paul teaches that we are to do everything we do with all of our heart in a manner we would do it to God.
II Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
They also taught us to serve others. They both had servant’s hearts, and whatever we had, whether little or much, they shared with others. They loved people because Jesus loves people. They didn’t hold grudges but were very forgiving. A good example was when a young man my Dad taught in school stole his car. After the man was caught and some time had gone by, my Dad saw him walking on the road, he stopped, gave him a ride, and fed him on the way. He saw this as a captured audience to tell this young man about Jesus.
Were my parents perfect? Absolutely not. Yet, even in their weaknesses, they were teaching me. they admitted when they were wrong. They asked forgiveness when they had offended someone. They also treated each other in a way that fostered healthy relationships. My parents never argued in front of us children. Dad was the head of the home and if Mom disagreed with something they settled it in private. I did not know they ever argued until I was grown.
My Mom is still alive and still loves the Lord with all her heart. My Dad went to be with Jesus 6 years ago. They were just common people who loved the Lord and wanted to raise a godly family. I am so thankful God chose them to be my parents.
