Courageous Joy

PARENTING IN PROVERBS - Ch 16 - PRIDE

~Why are you comparing your children to others? God gave you YOUR children to raise - not hers! Comparing our parenting to others will only lead to depression or arrogance. Note - you CAN watch, imitate in a mentor sense...but to compare in a "who is doing this right" attitude is sure to lead to failure! To think that you know how to parent someone elses children better than they do....if you've not become involved in a relationship that would be mentoring and iron sharpening iron... is plain haughty.

16:18 "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

16:19 "It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud."

~Be satisfied with following God's plan for YOUR family, don't presume to tell others what God wants THEM to do....lead them to God, mirror a passionate relationship with HIM and LET GOD TELL THEM what His plan is for them.

~Don't allow yourself to become prideful of your well-behaved children...God may give you one next who wants to fly off the chapel balcony!

~OK so I'd best say this here...so there is no doubt....

As the mother of several strong willed children - I do not see this as BAD....God needs innovators in the kingdom. He needs people with single vision. He needs zeal and spunk and spirit....but if we are judging our parenting skills based on the external behavior of our children...when God entrusts us with a special personality to raise for His kingdom, we may spend needless hours of frustration trying to make our children look like "Sally or Johnny", rather than teaching our child to channel his/her incredible determination, spunk, energy...

STOP COMPARING YOUR CHILDREN TO OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN....God gave you YOURS because there are things that He wants YOU to impart to your children. Discover what those are and get to it. Yes, Beth may be a natural mother and oh so creative and intelligent but God gave these kids to ME to raise....so He must know that if I walk close to Him I can do this. {g} I believe, when you are totally engaged in parenting your children, you won't have time to compare them to others - in a boastful way or in a way that reflects negatively on your child. See the value in your child, ask God for a glimpse of what He wants to accomplish with your problem or different child....accept that child....and get on with mentoring that child...not the text book child.