A Parent's Primary Responsibility
Robert Dawson
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
I remember when Kristal told me we were expecting our first baby. I wish I could say my first reaction was one of unrestrained joy. I wish I could say I was overcome with delight. It was not even close. I am not sure it was even kin to joy. If I had to describe my feeling in that moment fear would be the most accurate description. We had talked about it. We had made plans to have a family but now there was no turning back.
From the moment that little test said we were going to have a baby I knew our world would change. The fear that I felt was not because I knew life as we knew it as a single couple would change and require sacrifice and putting someone else first, that has been challenging and rewarding but it was not the cause of my fear.
I knew that I was now responsible for providing, loving and caring for someone else, someone who was helpless and impressionable.
- I had never been around little ones and would never hold a baby because I was fearful I would break one. I had never changed a diaper because...I didn't want to.
- While those things were a concern what made the full weight of reality come crashing down was the thought that I was now responsible for shaping the morals, values, self-esteem, emotions and mind of this little person growing in my wife's womb.
- I was now partly responsible for this little baby's future and to a degree his eternity. For me that was overwhelming.
In preparatory reading for this message I ran across a statement by someone I respect and trust that confirmed my feeling, not necessarily my initial reaction of near weeping, but the feeling of fear and found out that I am not completely abnormal. Josh McDowell said that #1 fear of Christian parents today is that they will fail to pass on their values, their morals and their faith to their children.
That is the most crucial and also the most difficult task placed before us. I am not dem ...
Robert Dawson
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
I remember when Kristal told me we were expecting our first baby. I wish I could say my first reaction was one of unrestrained joy. I wish I could say I was overcome with delight. It was not even close. I am not sure it was even kin to joy. If I had to describe my feeling in that moment fear would be the most accurate description. We had talked about it. We had made plans to have a family but now there was no turning back.
From the moment that little test said we were going to have a baby I knew our world would change. The fear that I felt was not because I knew life as we knew it as a single couple would change and require sacrifice and putting someone else first, that has been challenging and rewarding but it was not the cause of my fear.
I knew that I was now responsible for providing, loving and caring for someone else, someone who was helpless and impressionable.
- I had never been around little ones and would never hold a baby because I was fearful I would break one. I had never changed a diaper because...I didn't want to.
- While those things were a concern what made the full weight of reality come crashing down was the thought that I was now responsible for shaping the morals, values, self-esteem, emotions and mind of this little person growing in my wife's womb.
- I was now partly responsible for this little baby's future and to a degree his eternity. For me that was overwhelming.
In preparatory reading for this message I ran across a statement by someone I respect and trust that confirmed my feeling, not necessarily my initial reaction of near weeping, but the feeling of fear and found out that I am not completely abnormal. Josh McDowell said that #1 fear of Christian parents today is that they will fail to pass on their values, their morals and their faith to their children.
That is the most crucial and also the most difficult task placed before us. I am not dem ...
There are 10279 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
