He subtly whispered, "Be expectant. But be responsible".

For some reason, it hits hard on Sundays. As my family settles in front the row of church, all five children within arms reach. All five actually dressed in acceptable clothing!

Gratitude. Love. It soaks in.

The level of trust God has in me, in Jason, in us.

To raise these people.

At that moment, every Sunday, he whispers sweet encouragement to me. "You're doing a good job, my faithful servant". "These are the future". "These ones, they will change the world". "You, you seven are called".
(aren't we all?!)

It's always a good start for worship.

All I can do is lift my face and praise his name.

And then it's usually at that point that he tells me what to share with you. It's become a time of expectancy. I wait all week sometimes, and then his words flow.

"Be expectant, but be responsible".
That's what he said to me.

This past week, we had a situation where we needed to have an answer from Christ. It was a matter of us accepting the right thing to do versus what would make us more comfortable. Through it he taught me that parenting is very much similar to the situation we were facing. So when he uttered these words, it all made sense.

Be expectant.

Expect trials. Expect difficulty. Expect rebellion and expect disappointment. Expect heartache. Expect pain, expect illness, expect failure. Expect exhaustion, expect inadequacy. Expect frustration and expect fear.

Because our children will give us plenty.
And life's not perfect. Not here anyway.
They're not perfect, nor are we.

But be responsible.

Be aware so you can prepare. We must be ready. We must be conditioned to handle them all. Do not parent by instinct. Human instinct is human. Man is sinful. Parent by Christ. Seek him. Know his word. Understand his relationship with YOU. Once you understand him as a father, you understand the relationship between you and your children.

There's stretching. There's guiding. There's discipline, there's even testing.

But it works if out in the end if you're responsible.

We've been promised that!

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it".

Proverbs 22:6

If you're responsible, if you've done the ground work (which is tiring and hard and repetitive and exhausting and tiring, did I mention tiring?!), we are promised they will not depart.

They will know the truth. It's written on their hearts.

We have a small window.

We must be responsible.

Love. Train. Teach. Discipline. Love. Train. Teach.

Repeat.

It's so tiring.

But be responsible.

Be expectant.

Expect obedience. Expect respect. Expect kindness. Expect attentiveness. Expect a good work ethic. Expect peace in the home. Expect responsibility. Expect a happy heart. Expect a willing spirit. Expect a good attitude.

These expectations, they seem to be leaving so quickly in parenting. A child-driven society. This is not what God has called us to do. We are to TRAIN. Training requires discipline. Consistency.

They are capable, from a very young age. Very capable.
And we are to expect these things from our children.

But be responsible.

You can't expect them to do these things without teaching and without a good example. Live it. Show love. Show care. Show affection. Show mercy. Be an example. Live how you want your child to live. Teach, but learn too.

You can't expect obedience and a willing heart without trust and love in a relationship. Obedience shouldn't be driven by fear but by trust. Isn't that how it is with our Heavenly Father? We trust him, so we obey.

As will your children.

Gain their trust.
Show them love.
But show them how to obey. Show them how to respect. We need this in our culture.

Children who know how to obey from an early age will not struggle with obeying Christ. Because he has given us this model in our home.

It's a responsibility. We are to be active and aware.

I'm not sure why he said it.

But it's always a wake up call.

And a challenge.

And I always finish our conversations feeling recharged and ready for battle.

Be expectant. But be responsible.

Be ready!