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No parent wants disobedient children. But it\u2019s surprisingly easy to let our children get away with disobedience.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re tempted to let our children disobey because, at any given moment, it\u2019s easy<\/strong>. I know this from personal experience. With my four children ages one to five, I\u2019ve done all of these things more than I like to admit.<\/p>\n When I allow disobedience, it\u2019s usually because I don\u2019t want to stop and deal with that problem, right there<\/em>, in that moment<\/em>. I\u2019m tempted to make my present ease and comfort more important than my child\u2019s growth. I would rather keep reading my book (or whatever I am doing) than get up and take my responsibility as a parent seriously.<\/p>\n But when this happens, I\u2019m<\/em> disobeying God<\/em>. I\u2019m believing a lie. My project, conversation, or comfort is not<\/em> more important than my child and the job God has given me of training him to obey.<\/p>\n It sounds hard<\/strong> to hold our children to God\u2019s standard of obedience. Requiring first-time, respectful obedience may be hard<\/strong> for a few days if we\u2019ve let our standards slide. But once we\u2019ve drawn clear boundaries and started to consistently enforce them, our children will learn that we\u2019re serious, and life will actually get easier<\/strong>. Plus, everyone will be happier to boot.<\/p>\n God has given us a position of authority over our children, and we\u2019re responsible to faithfully and lovingly exercise that authority. Allowing our children to disobey effectively hands them the reins of our household and creates a child-run home<\/a>, which is no fun for anyone.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s ask for God’s help as we hold our children to His standard:<\/p>\n “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Eph. 6:1)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the next two weeks, we\u2019ll talk about why obedience is good for our children<\/strong><\/a>, and then some practical strategies for teaching obedience<\/strong>. If you have thoughts or questions about teaching obedience, please leave a comment below!<\/em><\/p>\n