“Jesus became angry and distressed at [the Pharisees] stubborn hearts” (Mark 3:5) when the crowd was more concerned with the Sabbath day and following rules than healing the crippled man. Do we ever act like the Pharisees in our home by getting more wound up in rules and schedules than our children’s hearts? How can we see straight through to our children’s needs during the day to day so we don’t act like the Pharisees? One way is by praying for the Lord to show us each of their needs. As we pray for this wisdom and read Scripture, the Lord will direct our hearts and minds to be in tune with our children’s needs. We’ll never arrive here on earth, and many times I fail miserably, but because of His great grace, I can try again to put their hearts and spirits first. This shift of outlook will hopefully bring more joy and laughter into our homes as well.
And, to clarify, I’m not saying our kids should have free reign – I’m a big believer in kids being respectful. But as parents, we have the great responsibility to not just ensure our children are following rules, but also to shepherd their hearts. Let’s take a step back to check ourselves, and let’s point our children in the direction of loving God and loving others by showing them Jesus’ kind of love where we look first to the heart.
Linsey Driskill 