Have you ever wished you had a manual on becoming a super parent? Or a script for parenting that you could tick off to ensure everything goes as planned?
Well, you’re not alone. We all have had an overwhelming parenting day when we felt inadequate and beaten.
Raising a child in favor of God and man is no mean feat. Christian parents have the pressure to be perfect and to bring up amazing kids.
The good news is even though we cannot be perfect parents, there’s help in the holy scriptures.
You can use hundreds of verses on parenting to set up your kids for success.
You may think your parenting styles are the best, and your children will become wayward.
Such outcomes make the parenting journey almost unbearable.
My parenting advice is, ‘…do not lean on your understanding.’ Proverbs 3:5-6.
Children Are God-given
One reason why children are called bundles of joy is that they come to light up our lives.
Pregnancy and childbirth may be tough experiences, but the joy that comes with holding that baby is incomparable.
Children are gifts from God. He thoughtfully formed each one of them in their mothers’ wombs.
The Lord causes labor and delivery and pre-determines where each kid is born.
Jeremiah 1:5-7
‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’
Psalms 127:3
‘Children are a gift from God; they are a reward from Him.’
Psalms 139:13-16
‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place and woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one came to be.’
Acts 17:26
‘From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.’
Isaiah 66:9
‘Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?’ says your God.
The next time you wonder how to go about the parenting journey, remember that God caused everything from conception to delivery.
Your children are custom-made for you by the creator of the universe.
There are enough Bible verses for parents to keep you going.
What God Expects From Children?
This parenting journey is a joint effort between parents and children. The holy scriptures have numerous verses for parents and children, too.
You may not have a parenting script, but the Bible is an adequate parenting book.
God didn’t leave any gaps when he gave instructions on parenting.
If human beings are to reap the fruit of righteousness, then both caregivers and kids should cooperate.
The following scriptures about parenting show that God expects children to keep their part of the bargain.
Exodus 20:12
‘Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.’
Proverbs 23:22
‘Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.’
Proverbs 15:20
‘A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.’
Ephesians 6:1-3
‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’
Proverbs 1:8-9
‘My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.’
Proverbs 13:1
‘Wise children pay attention when their parents correct them, but arrogant people never admit they are wrong.’
Proverbs 1:8-9
‘Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.’
As a father or mother, train your children to obey God’s commandments that directly address them.
They will receive uncountable blessings if they heed the holy scriptures.
Let your kids understand that God expects them to make your parenting journey easier through obedience.
You have a biblical role, teaching them what the Bible says, and they have a role to play: practicing the word.
Bible Verses about Parenting Roles
Every Christian parent ought to be aware of their biblical role in parenting.
The numerous scriptures on parenting are about making you a wiser parent.
As previously discussed, child-birth and rearing is God’s idea from the beginning to the end. This fact makes parents stewards and not owners of their children.
God has placed you in a place of influence and expects you to nurture your kids in His ways.
You are required to meet the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of your children so that they can grow up wholesomely.
Spiritual Nurturing
God expects you to offer spiritual guidance to your children. Remind them constantly of the scriptures. Training in righteousness will benefit you and your children.
Do your part and let God perform what you cannot. Some of the verses to parents regarding spiritual nurturing are:
Proverbs 22:6
‘Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.’
Titus 2:7
‘Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity.’
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
‘And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’
Emotional Support
Children need a parent who can provide both guidance and friendship. If you teach them the word and provide for their needs but ignore their feelings, you’ll be parenting amiss.
The verses below show how you can empathize and keep your kids’ emotions whole and their minds at peace.
Ephesians 6:4
‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’
Colossians 3:21
‘ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.’
Psalms 103:13
‘As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.’
Galatians 6:1
‘Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted’
Physical / Material Provision
Catering to your family’s physical needs is your responsibility. God takes this so seriously that he inspired its inclusion in the scriptures.
Your love for God and your family should keep you working towards a secure present and future for your children.
According to the verses below, you have a role to provide for your children and keep an inheritance for them.
Parents who become a burden to their kids or demand financial support are missing the mark.
1 Timothy 5:8
‘But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.’
2 Corinthians 12:1
‘Here for the third time, I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.’
Proverbs 13:22
‘A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.’
Disciplining
Disciplining is part and parcel of the parenting journey. You cannot claim to love your kids and leave them to do as they wish. God disciplines those he loves, and so should you.
Regardless of the parenting style you choose, discipline is key. This way, you and your children will reap the harvest of righteousness.
Some of the verses to parents about discipline are as stated below:
Proverbs 13:24
‘Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.’
Proverbs 29:15
‘The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.’
Proverbs 29:17
‘Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.’
Proverbs 23:13
‘Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.’
Hebrews 12:7-11
‘It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not be more subject to the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplined us for our good so we may share his holiness.
For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those trained by it.
Drawing Encouragement From Bible Verses About Parenting
When you doubt your competence as a parent or have an overwhelming parenting day, remember that God is your ever-present help.
He will do what you cannot do by teaching your children’s spirits to obey His commandments.
Psalm 112:1-2
‘Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.’
Psalm 127:3-5
‘Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.’
Isaiah 54:13
‘All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.’
Parenting is a channel for us to express the love of God to our little ones. The unconditional love that God has shown us and continually pours upon us.
The word of God is a gift to parents. Seek guidance from the holy scriptures and enjoy the journey.
