The Only Parenting Tip You Really Need

Our Parenting Tune-up day is a week away, Lord willing. If you have parents, if you are a parent, if you want to be a parent, then there will be things for you. Noah built the ark before it rained.

We live in the age of bullet points. We like our TL;DRs. It’s not just instant gratification, it’s insane expectations. Not even with AI can you plant a seed today and have a full field of fruit tomorrow. This isn’t just an observation from experienced famers, this is how God made the world.

But I am ready to give you insight on the one guarantee of a completely joyful parenting life. It’s possible to compress it into just two words: Never sin.

I’m not talking about having kids who don’t sin, I’m talking about being a dad or mom who doesn’t sin. “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That’s what Jesus said.

Now we know that this is the proper end, but not a probable experience in these pre-glorified bodies. Okay, there are two implications of that proper view of sanctification. First, why are you mad at your kid for disobeying when you know how hard it is for you to stop disobeying? Two, why aren’t you trying to stop disobeying your Father with more attention, remembrance, and resolve?

What would your home be like if you never sinned? Whatever other household goals you have, is this on the list? Make sure the beam is out of your eye, deal with your sin like an adult, and when God has disciplined you, you will taste “the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).