Responding to Our “Wild Child”

We know that children are a gift from God – especially when they first come into our family. Whether it’s a natural birth, fostering or adoption, they were leant to us from the Lord, and we recognize this.

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

They are squishy, funny, curious and precious. But they can also be messy, sassy, and willful. They act out in public and we blush and say, “This is my ‘Wild Child’.” A parent can be at their wit’s end to know how to deal with them, and if they were honest, they might even admit that they’re afraid to try to deal with them because of the backlash they would encounter from the child. Does this sound like you and your son or daughter? How can we deal with these difficult things and keep pointing them to Christ so that they will live out their days for His glory?

Children are also symbolically called “arrows in the hand of a mighty man” in that Psalm 127 passage. What does a warrior do with an arrow? They aim carefully and Shoot. I read recently that when an Olympic archer pulls up his bow and arrow, they don’t even breathe for many seconds so as not to cause the arrow to move away even the slightest degree from the target. They also withhold food for about 12 hours before the competition so that their digestive track is quiet and still! What intentionality!

That is exactly what parents must do with their children. We must be that intentional about pointing them to Christ and preparing them so we can send them off one day to live for Him. How? Let’s just start with three ways today…

1. As early as possible, teach them to love Jesus. Sing, read, pray. Talk about Him every day, all through the day. Show the difference He’s made in your life! Take them to church with you so they can faithfully attend Sunday School, church activities, youth group, and summer camp. If you got saved when your child is older, your situation isn’t hopeless. Be faithful now. The issue is Christ in you who will draw them – you just keep on pointing! Hold your breath and watch what God will do as you are intentional every day all day!
2. Let them see YOU loving God. Stop feeding from the world and feed on Christ and your child will benefit from that! Live for eternity, rather than the temporal things of this life.
   Tell them your own salvation testimony over and over. They should see you reading the Scriptures. Let them hear you talk about what you learned as you read. Are you memorizing a verse? Say it to them. Let them check your progress as they hold your verse card and you recite.
   They should witness you with an open Bible at church, taking notes and drinking deeply from any time you can learn and grow. If you sit passively, fidgeting, looking at your watch and your phone, what do you think your child will learn to do? Keep a tender heart. Stop and pray during the day. Show your dependency on Christ.
3. Use every opportunity to point them to Christ. An Olympic archer shows up for every practice. You show up for every fear, worry or anxious moment in their life. It is an opportunity to take them to the Throne of Grace. Teach them that Jesus cares and is always there to comfort and help them.
   Those discipline times that embarrass you are times to teach them that they need Jesus. Don’t ignore the behavior or just give them a little scolding. Take them aside and teach them why what they did was displeasing to God. Remind them that that sinful behavior was why Jesus died on the cross! If you ignore their behavior, you are missing golden opportunities to point them to Christ! Use the Scripture as your authority. Tell them this isn’t YOUR command – it’s God’s. “You need Jesus to help you.” is good instruction to make them dependent on the Lord, not you.

Our rewards as parents will come in eternity when our child is joined to Christ in heaven, and also when we stand before the Lord. Let’s be faithful and intentional!

What questions does this raise in your heart? Leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer it. Next week we’ll continue this post. In the meantime,

Refresh your “wild child” by pointing that arrow to Christ.