The Five Stones of Good Parenting

The Five Stones of Good Parenting

Extract from the Sermon

“Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag or wallet; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine” (1Sam 17:40,49)

        David, the young shepherd, killed the enemy giant with a stone. There are many giants in life. From David’s faith, we learn that to defeat giants in life, we must do it  God’s way. In his sermon last week, Reverend Poon gave us five stones of parenting, each representing a biblical principle to prepare our children to defeat the future giants in their lives.  

        Stone #1.  Prepare our children to endure suffering, because suffering is normal.  Instead of protecting our children from hardship, help them realise life is hard, but God is good, life is unjust, but God is sovereign. Because we are called to do good, we should not turn away from doing good so as to avoid suffering. When you do right and suffer for it patiently, you have God’s approval because you are following in the steps of Jesus, who “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.” (1Peter 2:21-23)

        Stone #2.  Teach our children to have passion for work, because we are created to work.  The book of Genesis tells us that work is not a punishment for sin. Through work, we can impact the world. Therefore, we are not to see work as a job, but to discover God’s calling for us in our job. Whatever your task is, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men. (Col 3:23)

        Stone #3. Teach our children to live as stewards, especially when it comes to money, for God owns everything (Ps 50:12). God entrusts time, talent and possessions to us. He expects a positive return. Do not teach our children to be a miser or allow him to grow into a big spender. Be mindful to teach them to save wisely, give generously and spend prudently.

         Stone #4.  Teach our children holy living, in which we experience God’s best for our life.  God’s law is given to make us like Him. We are to feed our children right, expose them wisely, and provide them wholesome fellowship so they may seek godly discernment and make wise choices.

        Stone #5.  Teach our children to live a grace-filled life, for we are created and redeemed by sheer grace. God bore the great cost himself and gave us His Son freely!  We are to teach our children not to condemn themselves for their failure. Failure is never final with God; He has not finished with us yet until we meet Him face to face (Eph 2:8-10). Let’s create a safe space for our children to confess their sins, reassure them that God will forgive them, and let them know that their family will support and help them get back on track. In turn, they can also show grace to others.