Time with Our Father for Parents

by Jennifer Duncan

God Bless Parents! 

 Grocery shopping

 Before kids...                                   After kids...
                    

Dinner out

Before kids...                                     After kids...

        

Laundry

Before kids...                                    After kids...

      

Your house

Before kids...                                     After kids...

   

Juggling your career

Before kids...                               After kids...

              

Vacation

Before kids...                               After kids...

Being a parent can be a tough job, but there is truly no greater blessing! 

A lot of times we feel as if all we do goes unnoticed by our kids or spouses. Thankfully, our Father sees all we do and blesses us for our attempts to be Godly parents. We need to acknowledge that being a parent is an awesome responsibility God has blessed us with, and even when we are exhausted and our patience has ran out, we need to remember even our small, routine tasks should be done as worship to God. We tend to forget, as we've been learning, that our family and our home is the church, too. We have the opportunity, through being a parent, to show our kids and our spouse the love of Jesus. 

“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Ephesians 6:7

Unfortunately, we, as parents, don't abide in God's grace enough, and we end our day stressed out, frustrated and dreading tomorrow. And the many, many times we fall short, we forget He is the one who sustains us and gives us the energy to preserver day after day. This should take a gigantic load off our shoulders and make us shout "Hallelujah!!"

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they may stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24

As I have discovered in my own life as a wife and mom of two small boys, if I don't begin my day totally centered on Jesus, by 9am I'm toast! Quiet, alone time with God, in prayer, study of the Scripture and listening to the Spirit is priceless as a parent. This quiet time with our Father (the best parent ever!) can be very hard to come by and may require some sacrifice and changing of priorities in our life. Maybe we need to get up earlier, or sacrifice time on the computer or watching TV, to have this one on one time with Jesus. 

Join me as I, we, strive to be more Godly parents and prioritize time with our Father everyday! I want to live in His grace and power to lead my kids in worship in our home each day!