Where did two decades go? How could they have sneaked by so fast? How could my little girl with the ringlet hair and cherubic smile already be 20 years old?
Wasn’t it just a short time ago that she learned to write her name? Now she’s writing term papers and e-mail. Wasn’t it just yesterday that she sat on her tricycle and asked Jesus to be her Savior? Now she’s working with foster kids to tell them of Christ.
Gone are the preschool years, the elementary years, and now the teenage years. With the loss comes the recollection of so many great times—so many opportunities to reveal God’s goodness, His guidelines, His love, and His salvation to Lisa.
As I think back on the opportunities I had during her formative years, I’ve concluded that the most vital aspect of parenting is relationship. Only when we maintain close fellowship with our children can we instruct them properly. When parents and their children share a relationship of mutual respect, new moments of teaching build themselves into a lifetime of love and strong values.
Mom and Dad, make it easier for your children to listen to your teaching by nourishing the relationship. It will help to make looking back a great experience.
God gives us children for a time
To train them in His way,
To love them and to teach them how
To follow and obey. —Sper
Children may not inherit their parents' talents, but they will absorb their values.