Parenting: A Long-term Investment

As parents, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the daily grind, get worried that you aren’t doing anything right, and start to believe that you’ll never measure up to expectations (your own or other people’s).

(Read on to find out what answer to prayer just happened this last month.)

Parenting is a long-term investment. You don’t always see the immediate results. Actually, you rarely do. Most days you are planting seeds that will take a while to bear fruit, but if you don’t get weary in well doing, God’s Word won’t return void! That means it will produce results.

A few weekends back, our youngest daughter graduated from college. It was a proud moment watching her walk across the stage and it was a long-awaited answer to prayer.
Early on, Denise and I decided that it was important to us that all our children went to college. (We have one left to graduate.) At the time, it didn’t look like college for six kids would ever be possible.

There will be days that you feel discouraged, disappointed, and frustrated. There will be days that you feel proud, honored, and blessed. That’s why we need God’s Word on a daily basis to remind us that no matter what the immediate feelings are, God’s Word is the one true thing.

Our oldest daughter just graduated, last month, with her doctorate. She is officially, Dr. Sarah Ramsey. I just want to encourage you with a little reminder: She wasn’t a model student and she was nowhere near a perfect child. There were times we just hoped she’d get into college, let alone become a college professor one day. There are going to be good days and tough ones, but don’t quit. Don’t grow weary in well doing.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV

THE TAKE AWAY

Even in the tough times you face with your child remind yourself of what God says about you and your child.

TEACH THEM THE WORD

The Word of God is the one thing that makes the difference as you make the longterm investment of parenting. When you don’t know what they need —God does. The Holy Spirit can remind your children of the Word you have taught them in the difficult moments. Be faithful to teach them and trust God to remind them.