Warnings, With Love

A guest post by Robert Shepard

How do we warn our children without making them believe it is not directed with a negative attitude towards them?

This is a question I have asked myself very recently, and believe it is vital we get this right in order to keep them focused and believing that they have a loving Father who only wants the best for them.

All through the New Testament, we see warnings as in Hebrews; there are warnings about loss of inheritance, and we read of how a Father would discipline His son. In the gospels, there are warnings where Jesus tells us that now everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven simply by saying, “Lord, Lord.” Matthew 7:21-23 ~

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

I have such a heart to see our children be built up to become the heroes in the Faith that God has called them to be and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. I also want to do everything I possibly can to achieve this and always try to understand the things going through their minds as they live out their lives-be it pressures from school life, and works, or other issues (perhaps even bullying), family life, and life in general.

Yes, this is my way of saying I am trying to stay young at heart!

But I believe that the warnings we receive from our Father are never to be taken with a negative view and should be heard and taken with love-albeit as hard as it sounds and it will never be easy, but remember Jeremiah 1:5 ~

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Something to think on here is: when God said to Jeremiah that He knew him, He used the word “YADA” which is said in an intimate way, confirming the relationship from this point He had with Jeremiah. The same applies to us and our children to this day-God “YADA” us from a long time ago, and only wants the very best for us, and only has the best to give us.

From this, the warnings we receive are from an angle of love, with the ability to see the bigger picture of what lies in store ahead. We have no idea what lies ahead in our walk with God, but He does and already knows the outcome.

So although we cannot see the outcome of the lives our children are living, we trust in God for them, but let our warnings come from the same place within us as His comes to us, from within Him.

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Robert and his wife Dawn have been married for 7 years. They currently have no children but are big animal lovers as they have 2 cats, and 2 bunnies, with an aquarium also. Both their hearts are burning for the children, and they are actively involved in the Children’s Ministry in their church. They are living the adventure that the Father has called them to and loving every second of it, but their passion is to see their children lifted high and become the heroes of the faith that God has called them to.