Okay, I admit the title of this devo is misleading. I don’t have sons. I am the proud father of three lovely girls! And by the grace of God, I strive to be the kind of parent God wants me to be.
Now since I have raised only daughters, I’ve been told that my parenting expertise is restricted to raising girls. The insinuation is that I might be less “successful” if I had sons to parent. It makes me wonder how different it would be if I had boys instead. I wonder what manly counsel I would give to my three sons.
David was father to many more sons than daughters (1 Chronicles 3:1-9). Severely ill and knowing that his death was imminent, David gave this final advice to his son Solomon: “Take courage and be a man” (1 Kings 2:2). Typical of all fathers, David wanted his son to be courageous and successful (1 Kings 2:3).
Life can be tough and traumatic, hard and full of heartache, fear-inducing and frightening, discouraging and disappointing and devastating. For Solomon to be courageous and victorious over life’s trials and tragedies, he had to remain strong in God (1 Chronicles 22:13, 28:20; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:10). To become successful, Solomon had to “observe the requirements of the Lord . . . and follow all His ways” (1 Kings 2:3). David’s words were intended to teach his son how to be a godly man. For the successful person is a godly person who knows and obeys God’s Word (Deuteronomy 5:32, 10:12; Joshua 1:7-8; 1 Chronicles 22:11-13).
Whether I’m raising sons or daughters shouldn’t matter. For I need to give to all my children the same timeless recipe for success: “Be strong in the Lord. Be a godly person. Know and obey God’s Word.” That’s true success!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 3:12–4:4
More:
How does this world define a successful and prosperous life? How does the Bible define that kind of life? (Deuteronomy 5:28-33, 10:12-13; Joshua 1:7-9; 1 Chronicles 22:11-13).
Next:
What final word of advice would you give to your children? Why is it important that we model what we teach?
GChoo on October 10, 2011 at 1:31 pm
K.T. thanks for today’s devo.
My older son has just left the nest for university studies miles away from home. I am grateful that he had accepted Christ and been baptised. However, being a young adult out into this great big world on his own what advice can i give him? To always keep close to God’s Word and seeking God for wisdom, discernment and guidance daily. I know we can’t be there for them 24/7 and at times there are decisions he needs to make quickly. Decisions that will result in good or regrettable consequences.
It is not easy to be parents, but i have God who gives me peace of mind knowing He will direct my son, to help him deal with his fears (those as mentioned in devo) and guide his path. When we ourselves read His Word daily, pray and trust in God, I believe our children will also learn to do the same.
daisymarygoldr on October 10, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Success does not mean doing well in school, having a good job, great marriage, wonderful children or fruitful ministry. From a human perspective, Paul the Apostle would be considered an utter failure. His life was riddled with suffering, starvation, persecution, beatings, being betrayed by friends and finally getting beheaded for Christ’s sake.
Yet Paul describes his life as a success by a simple statement: “I have finished the race, I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7).
In the Biblical context, success means to faithfully finish what God has called us to do. So, in order to know and do God’s will, we need to know and obey God’s Word. We cannot rely on our human strength to do God’s will. Our natural strength can become weak due to sin or failing health. However, when we are strong in the Lord, like Caleb we can overcome any battle—even in old age.
So regardless of our circumstances, when we faithfully strive to obey Him, we will not become tired, weak and burned out. Because by His strength we will achieve success in finishing the work God has appointed us to do. The final word of advice I would give and model to teach my children is— “Be faithful and finish well”
rncinca on October 10, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Thank you S. T. for your message. I agree that it does not matter whether you are raising sons or daughters-they each arrive with their own set of gifts and challenges regardless of gender. I have raised 2 of each and continue to look to Proverbs 22:6 ” Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray” ( NRSV). I want to encourage all parents that are facing challenges with their children and to remind them to never, never, never give up. Keep on loving your children and know that they will figure it out (with Gods help whether they realize it or not). Please keep the faith and remember that at some point all of our children, regardless of circumstance, must take responsibility for their choices. Blessings to all!