Have you ever thought about what Whole Parenting looks like? Or to put it another way, how could we illustrate no-hole parenting? Now you might be thinking this is a really interesting concept. I caution you, the key is not to focus on how to be a better parent, but rather BEING parented as a child of God.
I attended a Bible Study last weekend and it was so moving I had to share with all of you. No matter if you are 6 or 76, you are a Child of God and he wants you to love and parent you as his Child always and forever. We need to remember that even as we age, we still need the guidance of a loving parent.
In this lesson, Beth Moore shared 6 different categories for “Whole Parenting”, 3 were motherly qualities and 3 were fatherly qualities. If one of the “pieces” of Whole Parenting are missing, then we will not truly find “peace”.
Mothering Parenting – The nurturing and loving side of parenting.
- Nurturing – God’s wants to nurture us like a mother would nurture a nursing child. God is compassionate, loving and teaches the importance of self care. God leads by example of how a mother should nurture not only her child, but her inner child. She must learn to nurture herself, before she can truly nurture others.
- Affectionately Desired – God wants us. He doesn’t just tolerate us. He truly is delighted to be our parent. Many of us question our self worth and have thoughts of being unwanted or unneeded. This can’t be any further from the truth. We are all WANTED in the eyes of God and have a divine purpose for this life.
- Accepting Parent’s Very Self – This represents the fact that Christ’s spirit always lives inside of us. He share of himself and pours himself into us on a regular basis. He loves us from the inside out.
Fathering Parentings – The instructional and teaching side of parenting
1. Exhortation – God wants to teach us what we need to know to follow his will. The child works beside the father and he teaches them way you need to know. Each child is called by God to do good works and He is there to teach and instruct the path forward.
2. Encouraged – God wants to support and encourage us as we move forward on our journey. He knows that the road won’t always be easy and obstacles may come your way, but if you trust and believe, God will provide the encouragement you need to keep going.
3. Charged to Walk Worthy – God wants you to GET UP and do what he has called you to do. How many of us are searching for our purpose in life? How many of us think we know what our purpose might be, but are afraid to take the necessary steps to move forward? God wants you to STEP UP TO THE PLATE. Walk the talk and just do it. You will find that if you do not move foward with God’s plan, he will discipline you in some way shape or form to get you back on track. He knows what you need and will lovingly provide course corrections as necessary.
I loved this last one. How many of us are looking and searching for our life’s purpose. It is inside each and every one of us and its our God given duty to dig deep inside to uncover the dreams and path God has in store for us. He never said that he would give us a roadmap with all the directions nicely laid out. But he did say to have FAITH, TRUST and BELIEVE.
When you look at this list, do you find one or more “missing pieces” in your life? Once you find the missing “piece” and are able to fill the hole, you will find your missing “peace”.