Purposed Parent Connected Child Podcast Episode 124 - The Most Important Job of a Parent
Welcome to the Purposed Parent/Connected Child podcast – Episode 124 – The Most Important Job of a Parent
Thank you for sharing your day with me. I pray this podcast gives you the awareness and tools you need to STOP being a GOOD mom and BECOME the GODLY mom God entrusts you to be. Then you will be the SET-APART woman PURPOSELY raising children to chase CHRIST over culture.
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Now on to this episode that makes us consider an important question…What is the most important job of a parent?
Every job you hold has a description. Think back to any position you’ve ever held. Even if it was your first job, which may have been babysitting, or working at a fast food restaurant, you had a requirement of duties. You had certain responsibilities you were to carry out while performing the job. Motherhood is no different. With this prestigious position, we have certain requirements we must meet.
We also have someone we report to and we are expected to meet their requirements for the job they entrusted to us. Today we’ll discuss this holy job description.
I remember becoming mother to each of my children. Even though two were biological and two were adopted, the day I met each of them holds a uniquely special place in my heart. I remember my son locking gazes with me as soon as they placed him in my arms. I recall the way my youngest was nine years old, yet a toddler in her actions due to her background. The day we met, she was wary of us, yet hopeful, standing in front of us with hands on hips and bravery etched in her posture.
The day each of us have our precious children placed in our arms is obviously different for everyone. It’s a moment forever etched in our mind and heart. For most, in that instant, your heart expands beyond any capacity you knew was capable, and this person becomes someone you love so deeply that you’d die for them, even though you just met.
Many of us enter parenthood ready for the responsibility. However, when I was a first time mother, I didn’t feel ready, except that I loved my husband, and together we were bringing our child into the world. Not yet a Christian, my thoughts were to learn and become the best mom I could be. I did everything to become a good mom, wife, and homemaker.
I fell short in some ways, but I also grew and succeeded in other ways. Yet, aspiring to be the good mom was actually opposite of the direction I should have headed.
It would have given me such relief if I could have been given a manual with each child. Something that would tell me how each of them were wired, and what their interests would be. This guide could prepare me for how to handle their temperament and how to walk them through trials or temptations. How welcome this book would have been for a young mother.
As an older mom now, I look back at those early parenting years and wish I could have known things I do now. But the truth is that just like Dorothy with the ruby red slippers, I’ve always had the power. I’ve always held a weapon for success that isn’t secret. God’s Holy Word, the Bible gives us everything we need to know to parent successfully and live a life of joy.
The Bible instructs us in how to carry out our most important job. God’s instructions are very clear. We are to teach our kids to love God with all their heart, soul, and might because we do, too. God’s Word shall be on our heart, honored and obeyed, and lovingly shown to our children. We are to weave God and His commandments into everyday conversation and life whether we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise. We are to inhale Him so we effortlessly exhale Him as a sweet fragrance that attracts our children to Him. Everything begins with where you place your identity. If it’s not deeply, widely woven by Jesus, your child’s won’t be crafted by Christ, either. Your greatest goal should be that your children love, follow, and obey Jesus.
You must be a mirror mentoring Christ over culture.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 makes it very clear that every act of parenting should ultimately point to building a foundation of love and trust in Christ that is strong enough for your child to construct their own solid house of faith that lasts into eternity.
If God’s Word makes what our biggest parenting goal should be so clear, why do most parents falter in this area? When asked what they are most concerned about when parenting, most parents respond with different answers. Instead of sharing that they desire to make God clearly known as their first, second, or third answer, many parents remark that they are concerned with entirely different issues.
Responses such as strong mental health for their children (specifically addressing depression or anxiety), protecting against bullying, safety concerns, helping their child achieve academic success, and finding ways to better manage screen time are top of mind. When we look at this list of parental concerns, there’s one clear solution to each point. Everything points back to instilling a heart for Jesus and establishing strong identity though Him.
When our children build personal identity through relationship with Christ, integrity, character, and habits are formed that protect against what parents are worried about.
As they grow in depth and breadth of maturity in their relationship, they learn to take thoughts captive for God and begin daily habits that bring them closer and closer to Him with each moment.
As your children witness you seeking God first in daily life, reading His Word and utilizing what you learn in your thoughts, words, desires, and actions, then teach them how to do the same, you are exchangingfleeting treasures of this world for eternal security in the next.
When your children see you continue to build and strengthen your identity in Christ, then teach them how to do the same, you are investing in eternal insurance that will bring great dividends for eternity.
When your children are taught God’s Truth from you, the first Jesus they will experience, you will mold their heart and mind with eternal treasures that will combat depression and anxiety as they grow in Him. You will fill them with understanding of their purpose in life as they continue to mature. As your children uncover purpose through Christ and use the gifts and talents God crafted within them, they will have less use for mindless screen time and the fleeting interests of this world.
As you become a set-apart woman who intentionally parents set-apart kids, your children will stop looking like typical children and teens as they become uniquely equipped to navigate life in this world in ways that will bring peace and security in Heaven.
Why is it that believing women raise typical kids who grow into typical adults? Because we fall into the trap of living life day to day with the same patterns we’ve used in the past. Instead of relying on the power of the Holy Spirit within, we mindlessly live in the easiest or most convenient ways. Sometimes we think we’ll get to training about God later or that our kids aren’t mentally ready for certain topics, but the truth is that the devil deceives. It’s way too easy to follow his ways of the world instead of purposely pursuing the only One who can give us and our children or families what we truly desire in the depths of our spirit.
If you desire your children to carry peace that passes understanding, love, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, as is promised in Galatians 5:22-23, you must be purposed in making Christ known moment by moment in your life in order to mentor to your child how to show Him in their lives.
A once a week trip to church together won’t secure your child’s walk with Christ. It’s a day in, day out process of submitting self, moment by moment, and mentoring Jesus to your watching children. It’s knowing, showing, and experiencing the power of Christ together with the joy and peace that comes from an intentionally close relationship with Jesus.
Parents are merely human. We don’t carry special powers or traits that allow us to do everything ourselves, as much as we would like to think we can. We must submit to the Father and receive the Son. Through the Holy Spirit within, you can attract your child to Jesus. Because of free will, none of us can guarantee that our children will accept Jesus as their personal Savior, but we can rest assured that we have done everything to lead them to His feet and heart.
Dear Heavenly Father, You reign over us from Heaven, yet you live on earth and within our heart. Anywhere we go, You are present. Thank You for that hope and truth. May we live with ever more awareness of who You are and whose we are. May our children see the love and dedication we have for You because we passionately pursue You moment by moment and show our reliance on You. May we never draw our children, spouse, or others to self, but to You. May we honor You with purpose that exalts You and brings us into alignment with all You have for us. Thank you for including us in Your plans and showing us the way to You. May we climb in Your arms and rest there as we abide in Your glory, care, and love. May our children follow with even more desire for You. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
If you’re ready to become the godly mom God entrusts you to be for Him and His children, you might like my free “Good to Godly: A 31-Day Scripture and Prayer Guide for Moms.” Visit terrihitt.com to receive this resource.
You are the first Jesus your child will see. Your relationship with Christ is the light that shines Him to your children. If you want a connected relationship with Jesus and your children that leads them to your side and His feet, instead of them seeking validation from peers, my Set-Apart Collective program can show you how to reflect Christ in a way that attracts your family to a connected relationship that lasts into eternity.
If you don’t want peers and culture to be the main influence over your child, if you desire to parent to “prepare” your child for eternity with Christ, not repair your relationship with them, the Set-Apart Collective will arm you with a Christ-centered Motherhood Mindset Model™, and create a Purposed Parenting Plan™. You’ll also deepen your identity in Christ so you can mentor the way for your children to do the same. You will be a purposed mother with an intentional mind and heart set on Christ and your family and you will have the tools to raise set apart kids as you parent the heart, not simply the behavior.
Visit terrihitt.com/coaching and click the link for a free, no obligation conversation call with me. This is a strategic call where I will hear your biggest struggle and show you how to turn it into a blessing that will bring you closer to Christ and your children. It’s time for believing mothers to be purposed in preparing their children for a lifetime pursuit of Christ. Time is short. Make yours matter for eternity. Remember - if you’re not purposed in knowing Jesus and showing Him to the next generation, the world will sway your children away from Christ. I pray that what you hear on this podcast enables you to stop being a good mom and focus on being a godly parent. Until next week, keep looking Up while focusing on new ways to parent with eternal purpose and connection with your children and Christ.