Torch, Summer 1985

Margaret Wheeler A s I prayerfully evaluate the stewardship respon– sibilities of my life - my time, my finances, my friendships - my children come to mind. I grew up on Mother Goose, thinking of children as " . .. sugar and spice and everything nice . . ." or "snips and snails and puppy dog tails . ... " Now that I have children of my own, my thoughts about them have become a little more realistic. Scripture teaches that our children are an inheritance from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) . I see my little ones as a trust from Him - a trust to be developed and then presented to Him for His approval. As a parent, I often wonder what Christ was like as a child. The New Testament teaches us that His life is to be an example to us . While little is known of His childhood, some insights can be found in Luke 2:52: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man ." This verse suggests four basic areas of life in which I can define my parenting goals and focus my efforts. I . Wisdom. God has created my children with intellectual capabilities. The good parent-steward will see that his child ' s mind is developed in a way that honors the Creator. 2. Stature. Physical bodies are important. They are God's creation (Psalm 139:14-16) and the vehicle by which we do His work in our world. Attention to my children's health is an important part of the responsible investment of the parent-steward. 3 . Favor with God. Deuteronomy 6:4-6 teaches me that ii} the religious education of my children, a formal teaching time such as family devotions is not enough . It is the "every day/any time we are together" application of spiritual truth to the child's life and experience that is commanded. And the parent-steward must teach his child to love God with all his being. 4 . Favor with Man. Good manners are always in style. The parent-steward will want to teach his child to be socially mature in his relationships with others, both within and outside the family. I am reminded of the "Parable of the Stewards" (Matthew 25 :14-30) . Christ tells the story of a man who The Times and the Seasons by Margaret Wheeler was about to leave on a long journey. Before he departed , he divided his possessions among his three servants. When he returned, he was pleased to see that two of the servants had made wise investments. If I think of God as the master, myself as the steward, and my child as the precious possession, it helps me visualize how I can develop a parent-steward relationship that would please God . I can make profitable investments by knowing what my child is: he is made in the very image of God (Gene– sis 1:27) . As such, he is a person of great worth, deserving my most tender care and attention. I must know who my child is. In Proverbs 22:6a I read, "Train up a child in the way he should go . .. ." A good translation of the word "way" is "according to-his age level and way of learning." Since my husband and I have six children, the line of least resistance is to treat everybody the same way. But the good parent-steward gets to know each child, where he is in his thinking, how he learns, what he needs. In our family we promise to try to meet individual needs rather than try to give equal treatment - which we have found is impossible anyway . One of our stock phrases is "fair is not always equal. " In the "Parable of the Stewards" one servant did not invest his master ' s treasure. The text tells us that he was afraid . I can understand that. As a parent-steward, I too am afraid to take risks; I am afraid of being judged harshly by others . In my pride, I want to protect my reputation . I want my children to tum out right so that people will think well of me. But I must examine my motives. Am I willing to take the risks which might be necessary to make investments in my children that would honor my Master? Am I willing to allow God to mold me into the parent-steward He wants me to be? Dear Father, the steward who did nothing received a scathing denunciation. I do not want to hear such words from You. I ask Youfor grace to parent in such a way that You will be able to say, "Well done, thou good andfaithful servant." I ask that my children will grow to be godly, creative, and useful. In the name ofChrist, Amen . Margaret Wheeler, an alumnus of Cedarvi lle College, is a pastor's wife and the mother of six daughters . 11