Parenting with Peace
Over the past several years, I’ve done a ton of thinking about family dynamics. As I’ve worked on a specific project, I’ve done lots and lots of interviews and had lots and lots of conversations with teens, college students, and young adults about their emotional state of being. In my work at the church and my daily life as a dad, I see firsthand the pain and scars of life that haunt so many adolescents. Add all of that to an adult world that is still trying to find its identity, and no wonder we all feel like these are “crazy times.”
But, as I hear people (particularly kids and teens) talk and express their true longings, I really believe I can see what people are searching for. Sure, so many of us want success, recognition, cash, and comfort. But I think what we all really want is much simpler than that. I think it’s something that we chase in all the wrong places and something that can truly be found from only one source.
Romans 5:1-2 says,“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
There it is. Peace. And not just any peace, but peace with God. This is the same God who created the universe, spoke life into existence, and has the power to overcome sin and death. If I have faith in Him then I am justified through that faith. If I am justified and no longer “guilty” of my sin, I can have a deep peace in my life. I no longer have to carry the burden of my sin and live a life separated from Him. There no longer has to be a heaviness around my life. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And that, my friends, can give us all some real peace, if we embrace it.
Are there still struggles? Absolutely!
Is there still pain? Yes!
Is life sometimes tough? For sure!
But, there is a peace that is available to all of us through our relationship with Jesus.
As parents, do you rest in, live in, and lead from that peace? Do you feel the peace that Jesus brings into the world and into your heart, especially as we get set to celebrate His birth into the world at Christmas? Do you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He loves you and you can live a life of peace in your home? Do your kids feel, coming from you, what Paul describes in Philippians 4? He says, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I think that’s what we all really want. I think we want a peace with God that permeates our lives and flows through us to those around us. I think we want a heart that is guarded by the very God that gives that heart life. I think our kids want to feel and experience true peace in their lives where they aren’t wondering if they are safe, if they are loved, or if they have value and worth.
Imagine what would happen in your home if you could embrace and live from a true peace that comes from Jesus and your kids could see, hear, and feel this peace coming from you. As you and your family celebrate this particular Christmas season, I pray that the peace that is available to you will rest on your heart and mind and flow through you grow in your faith and as you lead your kids in the direction of Jesus.