Psalms 123:3-4 teaches us this, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” I have learned that God has given my children to me as a gift, as I teach them to have a nature and character like His. My husband and I have raised five of the season children we claim as our own. His mother raised one, and one was adopted when I was in a bad situation as a young teenage mom. I have seen them go through various difficulties in their lives, but I have also seen God bring all of them through. They are all grown now, but as children, they truly were a gift. They brought us so much laughter, and I am so humbled that God would call me to partner with Him in bringing these young souls to know Him as their God and Savior. They brought us blessings as others commended their respectful behavior.

Children become a gift when they trust us and obey the instructions God has given us to teach them. When they trust us enough to follow our instructions and trust that we really have their best interest, it is a gift when they obey us. Our relationships flow as God intended. They grow up to receive the rewards of obedience, and they are thankful for the efforts we made to help them build a rewarding future. They are a gift when others commend us for their respectful and honorable behaviors, when we see them treat their fellow man with dignity and respect. When they respect their elders and contribute to the good of their communities. It is a gift to see our children excel in the gifts and talents God has given them to be used for His glory. It is a gift to see our children grow up to love and trust God because we have shown them that we love and trust God and have been an example of how their Father in heaven loves them.

However, when we are more concerned with having our children love us, rather than love God, they become gods and goddesses. Our children should never cause us to feel that it is more important to please them than to obey the Word of God. When our children go astray and adopt behaviors and lifestyles that are in opposition to God’s Word, and we embrace and condone their behavior and lifestyle, then it is more important to worship the child than God from whom the child has come. When a child adopts ideologies and beliefs that defy God’s Word and a parent strays from God’s Word to appease that child, then that child becomes the god or goddess in one’s life. God has given us children to bless us as we enjoy the fruit from their lives that comes from obeying the instructions God has given to us to teach them. We also must have the character and heart of God to make God’s gift to us a gift back to Him and to this world.

If we do not have a heart for God, we can not shape our child or instill in our child or children a heart for God. So if our children become false gods or goddesses in our lives, it may be that their parents do not know the true God in their lives. When a parent holds God in the right place in their life, no one else can take His place, not even their child or children. Consider if it is more important for your child to love you, or for your child to love God? Things that make you go hmmm.