Game of Life
As a child, I enjoyed playing the Game of Life. Not only was it fun to give the spinner a twist to see how many spaces I could move, it was even more fun to ‘get married’ and ‘have kids.’ Once in awhile, I ended up with twins which were the icing on the cake. It was so easy to get married and have kids in that game; to live it out in real life is much harder.
Bringing up children isn’t for the faint of heart. I find it interesting that God made us the way He did. We desire to marry. We desire to have children. Babies are so beautiful. But babies are a Whole. Lot. Of. Work. Period. Something I’ve observed through my experience is that children soften the edges, so to speak. I was so selfish before Big Sweet Pea came along. I liked things just so... it was my way or the highway. Big Sweet Pea came along and, although she was a dream baby, she still required a whole lot of responsibility and I had to lay my own agenda aside. Children plain and simple need us – even when it is inconvenient. Even when we hurt. Even when we are sick. Even when we have other plans.
Although we say children don’t come with a manual, they actually do. The Word of God is the best parenting book you could ever find. It is the play book of parenting. We can’t play a game without rules. Life can’t be lived successfully without boundaries and direction. As parents, we need to take responsibility before God for our children’s natural and spiritual well-being. We can’t be their friend; we need to bring direction and correction. I believe, in time, our friendships will deepen as we mature; however in the early days, we need to be the leader and they need to be the follower. If there is no leader, there is confusion. We don’t raise children... we need to train them. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” To train means to “teach a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time.” Synonyms of ‘train’ are to instruct, teach, coach, tutor, school, prime, drill and ground. Here we see that ‘training’ children is a long-term commitment. Another word for train is ‘disciple.’ Our homes should be mini-churches in which training in righteousness is an ongoing duty. We need to teach children how to operate. We need to give them tools for life.
It doesn’t matter what we know. It matters what we do. In consistency, lies the power. Keep routines. Stand your ground. Know what your boundaries are. Provide a place of refuge, a peace-filled home where positive reinforcement and training goes on. Get on the same page as your spouse and don’t play favorites. Don’t let your children rule you or get in between your marriage relationship. Teach throughout the day... and take opportunities to reinforce good behavior. Less is more. Take your children OUT of activities to allow them to have time at home to play, learn, communicate and be with the family. Every dollar, every sacrifice, and every moment spent in the Real Game of Life is worth it all! The rewards are out of this world!