Proverbs 31 Magazine

[{'base': u'', 'type': 'text/html', 'value': u'By Sharon Glasgow

Godly parents don\u2019t always produce godly children. Raising a mighty generation is a God-sized task that we can\u2019t do in our own ability. When I told my mom I was pregnant with our firstborn 25 years ago, her first words of advice were, \u201cIf you can channel all the energy God has given you into mothering, you\u2019ll have a mighty generation of godly children.\u201d

The \u201cif\u201d challenged me spiritually. I was a doer and loved the challenge of any job set before me. But foremost, I loved the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind. How could there be any reason to doubt that a loving, godly person would raise anything but godly kids? God used her words to show me I would need help with mothering.

The perplexity of raising godly children isn\u2019t a new dilemma. In the Old Testament book of First Samuel, Eli battled with the same issues we do today. He was a busy parent, a stellar Christian, the chief judge and high priest over the entire house of Israel. He was the most devoted and tireless man of God you would want to meet. Yet, Eli\u2019s children were horrible! His sons were corrupt; they did not know the Lord and were vile in the sight of the people of Israel. Not only was his family a wreck, but his priestly and chief judge duties were a mess too.

Eli\u2019s problem is one we struggle with as well: doing too much at the cost of forgetting the most important things that God has called us to do. Eli\u2019s ambitions were noble and good; his heart truly loved God. There was no evil intent behind anything Eli did. But he was so busy performing noble tasks that he failed to lead his family and the house of Israel spiritually.

Through the years God has convicted me through stories like Eli\u2019s. God has shown me that to raise a generation that follows Him I must surrender my thoughts, plans, desires and time to seek Him wholeheartedly so that I can lead our children spiritually as my first priority.

My husband and I are self-employed. We work from home, and it\u2019s difficult to keep boundaries in place that protect time with God and family. Keeping family time sacred is a daily choice that\u2019s challenging. In the past 25 years, I have removed as many things as possible from my schedule in order to live what God has called me to live. I don\u2019t volunteer for many things, I don\u2019t answer the phone when the family is together, I don\u2019t watch TV or surf the net. I don\u2019t make cleaning the house a priority; there are often dishes in the sink, dust on the furniture and a ring around the toilet.

I want to make sure that I am available when the kids are home, that I\u2019ve saved my very best energy for sharing what God is laying on my heart that day, and for listening to what God wants to say to each child. I want to make sure that I\u2019m not too worn out to talk to the kids for hours. That\u2019s where poor Eli messed up and that\u2019s where I know I need to check myself daily. I tend to be a workaholic who can easily get caught up in the fast-paced cycle of life.

My husband and I have put effort into creating a home of godly inheritance. Our family spends vast amounts of time in the kitchen having deep spiritual conversations. Talks in the kitchen with the food and dishes all around us will probably be the greatest family memory - and the best spiritual asset - for our children. Not one day passes without us sharing truths from God\u2019s Word and their spiritual analogies to our lives today. We talk about hard questions like: How do we know the Bible is true? How do we know there is only one God? How can we know if a religion is true or false? Why does God let bad things happen? Our kids are being spiritually trained; it is the priority of each day.

I\u2019m so thankful that my mom challenged me 25 years ago to surrender all my \u201cdoing\u201d for the cause of raising up a godly generation. I\u2019ve never experienced anything as rewarding as the spiritual strength of our family.

One day our kids will all be gone, the house will be clean, I\u2019ll answer the phone again, and I\u2019ll volunteer for things I always wanted to do. I\u2019ll go on that honeymoon with my husband, go on fun trips with friends and pass on the same advice my mom gave me to our children and their children. And the legacy will continue.

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