“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3) 

Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”. As a parent, part of living that out is teaching our children what it means. Several times a year, as part of our Sunday worship service at church, we have what is called Parent-Child Dedication. It is a special time for our congregation to celebrate with these families the blessings of God their children represent. As our pastor began this time of celebration on this particular Sunday, he reminded these parents of the covenant they were making before the LORD, charging them to pray for their children, teach them sound doctrine and to be a godly example in their lives. He then read Psalm 127.

            Psalm 127 has as its theme the importance of the LORD’s influence on the family. “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Verse 3 speaks specifically of children as a divine gift, an expression of God’s goodness upon a parent’s life, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward”. Our children are a tremendous blessing from God. They are also a tremendous responsibility. As parents, it’s imperative we take this responsibility seriously. As with any learning that takes place in a parent-child relationship, it’s hard to teach what we don’t model. Our children will most likely not walk a path we ourselves are not traveling. This leaves us to rely on God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s work to help us model godly living.

            A word of encouragement, our walk will never be perfect in this life, but as we set our affections on Christ, let us trust that our children will follow. Imagine the blessing of walking side by side through this life of faith with those God has given you the responsibility of leading. Imagine, you yourself becoming more and more like Christ and at the same time watching those you love so much becoming more like Him to. In both cases, our God will be glorified.