Transcript
I've been talking about why I hate parenting and maybe the way to say it is there are things about parenting that I really hate, and I think you should hate them, too. Here's one that's very significant - is that you're parenting an idolater. You say, "What is this man talking about?"
Every Human Being Is a Worshiper
Well, let me explain that every human being is a worshiper. You don't just worship on Sunday. Worship is not just a formal religious activity. Worship is your identity. You are a worshiper. You worship your way through every moment of every day.
That means your child is always attaching his identity. He's always attaching his meaning and purpose. He's always attaching his view of life, his inner sense of well-being to something. And what happens to children is rather than worshiping God, they end up worshiping something in the creation.
They look horizontally for what they can only ever find vertically. They attach their identity to the acceptance of another person. They attach their meaning and purpose to the collection of possessions that they have, to athletic ability, to appearance, to achievement, to success. And here's the struggle with that.
Parenting Is Complicated by Worship
None of those things will ever be your child's savior. And so, parenting is complicated by this thing called worship. A child is never more submissive, never more obedient, never more satisfied than when he's worshiping God; and when he's not, there's going to be some kind of trouble.
So if you share this parenting video with the #IHateParenting, you will have the possibility of winning this parenting packet. First is a video series called Getting to the Heart of Parenting. Lays a foundation for parenting and then applies it to 0 to 5, 6 to 12, 13 'til only God knows. Very, very practical and there's also a downloadable study and discussion guide.
Second is Shepherding a Child's Heart, my brother, Ted's book. It's a classic and just a biblical view of parenting children. And then third, Age of Opportunity, which is specifically about parenting teens. One thing nice about the Age book is it's got a 60-page study guide at the end of the book that will really help you to assess where you are as a parent with your children.
