House of Cards, Week Six - Parents

House of Cards Week 6 Parenting  God blessed humanity when He made us to live in community, and there is no closer community than our families. What makes a family strong? In this series, we’ll examine topics to help us get to a solid, Christian family based on God’s principles. The Bible teaches us that there are 5 things every child (really every human) needs Accept their uniqueness Every child/person is unique Ephesians 2:10 – You are a masterpiece that God custom designed before you were born. Two enemies that fight against uniqueness: The pressure to compare.  2 Corinthians 10:12  Comparing is a waste. God never intended for you to be like anyone else. The pressure to conform.  When you try to be like someone else, you push pause on God’s plan/purpose for your life Romans 12:2   Affirm their value Affirmation should be constant We all need to be reminded how valuable we are Matthew 10:29, 31 The value of something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Jesus paid for you with His life. How to help your kids see their value Remind them how much God loves them Every day show them (1) attention, (2) affection, + (3) appreciation  Trust them with increasing responsibility Give them responsibility so they can be responsible The goal of parenting is to move them from dependence on you to Independence And then to dependence on God (but with responsibility) How? Trust them with small things (Luke 16:10) Trust them with possessions and money (Luke 16:11) Trust them with something that doesn’t belong to them (Luke 16:12) Correct without condemning Proverbs 3:12 Punishment looks at the past. Discipline is correction for the future. Never correct in anger Choose your words carefully  Love them unconditionally Forgiveness (ask for it, accept it, and forgive yourself) Ephesians 4:32 Never give up on them 1 Corinthians 13:7 Application 1. Practice parenting on someone else’s kid—serve in Family Ministry! gethope.net/serve  2. Next Level Parent Conference (January 29)—Sign up at gethope.net/conference