Lately, I find myself trying to encourage myself with the mantra of Psalm 127:3: “Children are a heritage of the Lord… the fruit of the womb is His reward.” Blessing. Heritage. Reward. Psalm 127 puts “children” right in the same line of blessings as sleep—and, oh, we know what a blessing sleep is! But when we’re surrounded by toddlers, preschoolers,…
Written October 2017. Most kind and loving people have admirably low expectations for mothers of young children. People constantly reassure me that my failures are okay, whether it’s that I forgot to bring something, do something, answer an email quickly, or even if it’s something more important: “Nobody can be perfectly patient all the time.” “I didn’t read the Bible…
Sanctification—the way God works to resolve sin in the life of the believer—is evident in Scripture. Similarly, so is the utter pervasiveness of sin in the life of a nonbeliever. But, for some reason, when we talk about childrearing—about discipline, about “good parenting,” and “good kids”—our theology often gets a little wobbly. Per my parents’ stories, I was a well-disciplined,…