What Do I Strive to Be as a Parent?

By: Melinda Walker

Yesterday my dad had a stroke. I didn’t know how bad it was, I didn’t know his condition, I didn’t know anything. But I did know I needed to get there. Living almost 15 hours away from them makes it difficult.  I needed to be there for my dad, to actually see him, to receive all the information I so desperately needed, but I also needed to be there for my mom, to let her know she wasn’t alone, to help in any way I could.

My dad is a wonderful Christian man who never meets a stranger and loves children. He is the best father who has always been my encourager and my hero. My mom is a wonderful Christian woman, a prayer warrior, who always took care of my needs growing up and provided a great example of a Christian mom that I try to be daily. When God made her, He knew there wouldn’t be anyone else like her. She was and still is totally faithful to her husband, family, church, friends, country, and most importantly, God. She lives a busy life.

What do I strive to be as a parent? I have 2 daughters, 22 & 25 years old. When they were younger, my goal wasn’t to be their best friend. Instead, it was to raise them how God wanted me to raise them. My husband and I dedicated them to the Lord when they were babies and we made a promise to God to raise them in a Christian home, teach them about God and His love, and to let Him have control of their lives. Were we perfect parents? Of course not. Far from it!  But I knew each and every day they were His and He gave them to us for a purpose.

My parents instilled in me the value of teaching my children about the love of God. They cared for me, taught me about Jesus, took me to church every time the doors were open, and met all my needs (not wants) and that means the world to me. So, I’ve tried to do as my parents did. Hopefully my girls have been able to see His light shining through me just as I saw through my parents.

As I sit here with my dad, reminiscing of what both he and my mom did for me growing up, I can tell you that, in my eyes, they did exactly what God expected them to do. The Bible they read to me, my brother, and sister came to life each day they lived their lives as we were growing up and even more now. “Love the Lord your God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength” Mark 12:30 & “Love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:31. As they have shown me through their lives, I want my girls to see the same from me.

What do you strive to be as a parent? Who do you look to as an example and why? What will your children remember about you when they are grown? Do you live a life that is pleasing to Him and is it making an impact on your children’s lives? God doesn’t say we have to be perfect parents, we’re human. But we do need to always strive to be like Him. God gave us our children for a purpose. They need the example of good Christian parents to show them how God wants them to live…Totally faithful to Him.

Just as my parents took care of me as a child, now it’s my time to care for them when I am needed and to let them know that what they taught me as a child, is still deeply ingrained in me. Knowing that I still look to my God for healing, strength, comfort, and peace through this time can be a testament of their faithfulness to Him throughout my life.