The Wayward Child, Ephesians 6:4

This post concerns the wayward child.

The Wayward Child discusses what a parent can do and has done to focus on a better relationship with a child.

Consider that a baby comes into this world with some characteristics but also many blank pages. Then, parents write on the blank pages as time passes.

Consider what can happen, Ephesians 6:4. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

This verse provides God’s answer to two common problems:

  1. We as fathers can do things that cause frustration/anger.
  2. We as fathers can fail to teach them in the discipline/instructions of the Lord.

What problems can occur? We can err in several ways:

  1. We can cause the child to not feel loved. We may think we love the child. However, how we act may not cause a feeling of love. Do we act in such a way that the child feels it? Perhaps, we do not spend enough time with the child in the way the child feels it. If the child feels unloved, they may respond with some form of anger. We must then correct how we treat the child.
  2. We as fathers can fail to provide balanced discipline. We must discipline in a way that the child understands. We must ask ourselves, “Does the child understand our discipline and love at the same time?”
  3. We can fail to teach the instruction of the Lord. Do we explain God’s love and laws with language the child understands? When they fail to obey what God wants, do we teach and discipline at the same time?

A Bible story time every night shows the child that they comprise part of God’s love. Thus, this becomes a way to impress the child with how much God has done for us.

Attendance at worship services every Sunday stresses the importance of God and worship. This also becomes an opportunity for teaching by example about how we feel about God.

So, what did we learn?

1.Parents can mold a child to avoid a misbehaving child.

2.Parents can balance discipline with love to avoid a wayward child.

3.Parents can teach the child to love and respect God.

For more on the Bible, click tdroberts.org or https://justchristian.com or https://podcastjustchristian.com

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