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This morning my grandson was born. To my beautiful daughter and her incredible husband: The greatest journey of your life starts… NOW!
By now I’m sure I don’t have to say much about how important your life has just become. You now have a son who depends on you. Your responsibilities have now gone to the absolute height of what it means to be a human being. The good news for your son is that you got this! Together, and individually, you serve the One True Living God of All Things. The ultimate Ally. The ultimate Trump Card. The best Weapon in any battle. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The King of kings and Lord of lords!
Through the years I always joked that when I became a parent, I somehow missed that parenting playbook that I thought they were handing out as we left the hospital. You know, the one that was supposed to tell me how to be the perfect dad. The one that would help me raise the perfect kid. But, of course, there wasn’t one. All the while, the only parenting playbook I ever needed was the one sitting on the shelf at home. It had always been there in full view whenever I needed it. Its instructions are quite clear. The Bible is the only guide and playbook you’ll ever need! The Word of God gives us all we need to know to be the best parents we can be, and I trust that this will be no different for both of you. Oh, and by the way, and I am not telling you anything you don’t already know, but the Author of the book is only a prayer away and He never sleeps! It doesn’t get any better than that!
As a grandparent, my job is also quite clear. I bow steadfastly in prayer for you. I ask God to give you wisdom. I stand in trust that He will carry you every step of the way. In these short paragraphs, I will remind you of a few Scripture verses in an attempt to do my part. Also, you need to know that you are never alone. You have family support. I stand with you. I will fight for you! The game stakes here can’t be any higher. We have a new addition to the family and we are here to rally the troops if ever needed! The good news for your son is who his parents are and the support you have behind you! So, with that being said, let me remind you of this:
Proverbs 22:6 can’t be clearer- “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” The words to stay focused on in this Scripture verse are the words “train up.” From the Hebrew word Chanak, it means to initiate or discipline, to dedicate. There is no room here for a hands-off approach to parenting. It’s your job to train them…full hands-on training.
With this will come the hardest responsibility a parent has: Discipline. The Bible is quite clear here as well but understanding it to its full capacity is key. The world will want you to feel like any kind of hands-on discipline is abuse. This is not accurate at all, but instead destructive. Man has proven this way of thinking to be a disaster and we only need to look around us to see those results, but God’s instruction is quite different. When discipline is done properly the outcome has eternal results. God’s way is love, yet strong and firmly carried out. The lie is that they both can’t exist, but they can:
Proverbs 13:24 says this, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”
Proverbs 23:13-14 – “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.” (Sheol is translated as “world of the dead”)
Proverbs 19:18 – “Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.”
Proverbs 22: 15- “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”
Ephesians 6:4- “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:5-11 – “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they discipline us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
If you love your son fully, you will discipline him. In loving him fully through discipline you will correct him. In return, he will respect you, and love you, and God will take center stage in his life!
As your son grows older my encouragement to you is to do everything in your power to be the two pillars for him that he leans on. You need to be the two biggest influences in his life. When outside forces come calling, trying to sway his way of thinking away from what is right, if you are the parents you were born to be, those influences will not infiltrate the strong walls you built around him. Instead, he will always compare these influences to what he has been taught by YOU! And if they are in conflict, he will brush that influence aside. He will know good advice when he hears it. At the same time, he will be able to recognize garbage that needs to be discarded in the trash can when it ends up in his yard. The upbringing you give him will be his litmus test against the evil that surrounds him. When that upbringing is biblically sound that litmus test becomes rock solid! Nothing will penetrate those walls when they are held up by our God.
To my daughter and her husband let me just say this: Your son is here and let’s go!!!! Go be the parents God has created you to be and enjoy the journey of your lives together as a family! That journey starts now and I am so happy for YOU!
And to my new grandson:
I am confident that you are already saved by Almighty God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yes, there will need to come the day when you make a conscious decision for Jesus to be the Lord of your life, but I believe the battle has already been won. While you were in your mother’s womb, we prayed for your salvation. I believe I serve a God who is faithful! I am confident He will not let our cries to Him for your life be ignored. Instead, He will answer and call you to Himself. Now, we just wait for His timing in great anticipation. Today, as you entered into our world, I smile knowing just how powerful our God is and also how good He is to us! One day, you will be living proof of that again as you call the One true living God your God!
Until then, I celebrate you and I praise God for you!
Now when do the Nerf gun wars begin and we tear up the house before Mom and Dad get home?!?!?!? Dad taught you how to shoot right?
Oh, and what kind of ice cream do you want me to bring with me?
Have Character!
J. Noah Russell
