The Right Truth

"Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge..." 1 Timothy 6:20

I was reading this morning on topic of stewardship, and came across this verse. My mind went immediately to the stewardship of my children, entrusted to Jimmy and me by God. My service to God, in whatever he has given me to do-including parenting-involves guarding and protecting what is already His. Not only that, but I need to give them back to Him better than they were when they were given to me. In the parable of the talents, the careless steward was chastised because he did nothing with what was given to him. He didn't improve upon it, didn't put it to use, didn't make it better.

My job as a parent is to guard the spiritual condition of the children who have been put into my care. I can only do this by listening to Truth and using that Truth as a guide and a measure. Nothing else in the world can replace that Truth. But everything in the world tries to replace it. "Godless chatter" and "opposing ideas" that falsely disguise themselves as "knowledge" attempt to replace Truth in every aspect of our lives. And it is very easy to fall victim to their attempts.

We look to countless resources to make us better parents. Who doesn't remember that fat yellow "What to Expect" book? I know I was glued to that book for at least three years. But what else do we listen to? Everyone has suggestions to make us better parents, to make our kids better kids. A couple of weeks ago I saw a Back-to-School commercial that suggested the best thing a mom could do for her kids was to make sure they went back to school "in style"...forget teachers and grades! "Experts" tell us to make sure our kids "feel good" about themselves and their lives...translation, make them happy. Other "experts" tell us to make sure their grades and test scores and transcripts are capable of gaining them admittance to the most prestigious schools with the best scholarships.

At least twice a year, I fall victim to that last bit of "knowledge". I allow someone's expertise in the area of education to freak me out and cause me to panic. Am I teaching all the right subjects? Have I missed something? Am I accurately preparing my girls? Then the rock that is my husband gently points me back to the right place. Back to the Truth.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-8. That's it. That's the command. That's the Truth. Everything else is secondary. We are not bringing our children up for the pleasure or praise of man. We are bringing them up to bring glory to God. If we do that right, everything else will be good.