A+ Parenting

As I parented my two girls (now adults), I frequently asked God to give me a grade at the end of the day. I wanted to know how well—or how poorly— I was doing in the parenting department. Did I get an A today, Lord? Or was it a D-? I would have appreciated this information from God, as I was trying so hard to be a good parent. Frequently, however, at the end of the day, I could only recount all the blunders I had made with my girls. I would be discouraged and self-condemning and grade myself with a big fail, F. Parenting children, in itself, can be exhausting—but coupled with self-doubts and self-condemnation, it is self-defeating!

The Lord had me on a journey of discovery as both my husband and I brought up these two bright young daughters. Our deepest desire was that they would grow up loving God and would want a relationship with Him. Knowing that our influence was great as their parents, it propelled us forward to read books on parenting, pray every day for our girls, and endeavor to teach and model Christ for them. We knew we needed to deepen our own relationship with Christ so that those things could even be possible. But what we had to discover was the part that we all fear and yet respect about our God: free will. No matter how “perfectly” we raise our children, God has granted us all free will. Because we have free will, we can reject all that has been generously given by God, even though we see it clearly and consistently. And the fear is that one’s children will, in the end, reject Him.

 Unfortunately, it is a sober reality for all parents. And yet, it keeps us always praying for our children, never giving up on them, and hoping they will choose what we know is the heart of God for them.

 I don’t ask God anymore for a grade on my parenting skills. I ask God to be God. I ask God to do what He does best: find lost sheep. I pray this prayer for all my fellow parents who have children that are not walking with God. I pray that the lost sheep will be found. I pray that the lost children will desire something better than what they are currently experiencing. I pray that each will be like the prodigal son in Christ’s parable and say, “I will set out and go back to my Father!”

 Lee Lee Dart