Everything we do is to be done to the glory of God. Our chief goal ought to be to glorify God. This is true of us in our calling as wife, mother, employee, church member, friend, daughter..... Our main concern should be to please God in all we do. Right now we are mothers. Some of us our wives. But we will always be Christians. This is one thing that not even death can alter!
How we view this verse will reveal how view God. If God is only watching us to catch us, then we will be motivated by guilt. If God is watching because he cares for us and delights in us, then we will be humbled and motivated by gratitude and thanksgiving. Sometimes both views can get a similar outward action. But the heart of a guilt stricken person is scared, selfish, bitter and far from the Lord of the Bible. The heart of the thankful person is motivated to please God because he feels gratitude. And he feels gratitude because he knows that God is God and he is man. He knows that God made all things, governs all things and still has a love for him!!! If this is not motivation to good works then I do not what is! Therefore, this verse should relieve us, and if it does not then you can be sure that your view of God needs to change!
So how does this verse apply to parenting. It is so easy to have the kids memorize this because we want them to feel burdened. We want them to know that we know how naughty they are and they can be sure that God is watching and is wagging his finger at them in a disapproving way. But God is not this way. So if we teach this then we are misrepresenting God to our children and it is clear that we need to have a little Bible study for ourselves! The main thing to impart to your child about this verse is the amazing truth that God is watching them because he cares for them. He is watching them because he is watching over them. He has their good in mind. He watches them because he delights in them. He watches them, not to catch them being naughty and say "I told you so" but he watches them because they are the apple of his eye.
If we are to rightly teach our children this proverb then we need to copy God in his parenting techniques. When you look at your child when he is doing something good, how do you respond? Do you encourage and praise or do you discourage by thinking "it is about time you do as you are told"? When your child is in sin and disobedience, how do you respond? Do you gently lead them in righteousness by grabbing their hand and bringing them back on the path or do you beat them down by anger, frustration and unkind words? Or are you not like God in the way of not noticing either good or evil in your child? If this is the case then you need to start paying attention.
Delight in your children!!! You cannot teach this verse rightly until you have that down. And if you are not delighting in your children, then bring it to God. Confess it as sin and ask God to give you a love for your children that is like his love for his children! Look on your children with love, wanting to bless them at all times. Wanting to bless them when they are in sin, wanting to bless them when they are producing the fruit of the spirit. But always looking at them with delight and pleasure.
And how do we do this when they are not being delightful? Well, if you already have a love for them in your heart (put there by God of course!) it will be much easier. Never forget that you are suppose to be the spiritual one. You are called to correct your children. Stop getting surprised by this!!! Expect it!! And get really good at helping them get out of the mess quickly.
Remember that God is watching you! He is watching you for the same reasons that he is watching them. He loves and delights in you. He gave you your story so that you could be the heroine. He gave your kids to you so that you could serve them and help transform them into his image. But you cannot do this if you are not being transformed. So know that God is watching you. And yes, he expects you to live in manner worthy of your calling. But this attitude of obedience should come from humble thankfulness not from a spirit of guilt. And just so you know, guilt produces terrible fruit!!! But forgiveness in Jesus produces the beautiful fruit of the spirit!!!
Memorize this verse for yourself first and couple it with meditating on God's attributes. This should lead you to praising him rather then fearing him. I am not talking about godly fear here but the fear that comes from the devil. And this fear cripples and withers any good fruit. It does not convict as the holy spirit does who leads us to Jesus so that we can be free of our burdens, but it adds to our load and makes us fall under a hard yoke. But Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light. So remember that he cares for you, he watches you because he cares. He wants you to succeed and He helps you have victory and joy!!! Be relieved then because he sees you at your best and your worst. And in your best, he is there working it in and through you. And at your worst, he is there to pick you up and carry you. At your worst he is there, ready, always ready, to forgive you! And this why this verse is incredible!!
God bless you as you strive to be as He is!
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