Tuesday, April 16
Few things can change our lives more than the birth of a child. Nothing in the family can or will ever be the same again.
“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” (Psalms 127:4, 5, NKJV). At the same time, children do not arrive with an owner’s manual that tells their parents all they need to do to care for them and how to troubleshoot any problems that may arise. Even experienced parents are sometimes stumped by the actions, words, or attitudes of their children. As important as it is to prepare for marriage, it is also important that those who hope to become parents be prepared for that awesome responsibility.
However unique the following stories about births were, what principles can those preparing to be parents take away from these accounts? 1 Samuel 1:27; Judges 13:7; Luke 1:6, 13-17, 39-45, 46-55, 76-79.
What an awesome responsibility and opportunity these parents had. Three would be the parents of prophets and leaders in Israel, one of their children would be the forerunner of the promised Messiah, and one of the children would be the Christ.
Yet, even if our children are not destined to be biblical prophets, parents should still be preparing for this radical change in their lives.
“Even before the birth of the child, the preparation should begin that will enable it to fight successfully the battle against evil.
“If before the birth of her child she is selfindulgent, if she is selfish, impatient, and exacting, these traits will be reflected in the disposition of the child. Thus many children have received as a birthright almost unconquerable tendencies to evil”. – Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 256.
Whether it is children under our care or if we have responsibilities toward other people, what are things we can do to discharge those responsibilities in the godliest manner possible?
