Trusting in our Heavenly Father’s ways and presence is key to successfully navigating the joys and challenges of parenting in 2025. Every parent or caregiver is affected by the responsibility of caring for children who have experienced different degrees of trauma. Despite the heavy burden, God’s faithfulness shines as He guides us on our journey of parenting, revealing His loving faithfulness through His promise, provision, and protection.
Led by His Promise
In Proverbs 22:6 (KJV), God gives a promise that cannot be disputed: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Apart from the promises of God, there is no panacea for the daunting challenges of parenting. It’s common for us as parents to feel the need to be in control and fixated on the end results. However, these are only vapid delusions. Because misbehavior can evoke frustration or anger, we should pause to embrace the teaching moment that misbehavior offers and highlight the redeeming qualities of our child. Their behavior is not a commodity or product that can be neatly arranged on an assembly line.
Chronic exhaustion and irritability may arise from overlooking the significance of maintaining consistency and having faith in God’s promises. The vaccine for hopelessness is trust in God’s Word.
When we follow God’s promise, we are reminded of our unique creation. Ephesians 2:10 (KJV) serves as a reminder of God’s intricate design of us, much like an artisan shaping a prized sculpture or an artist revealing himself through his creations. God expresses Himself in us. You are His work; you are His poem. As God made his promise to Abraham, you have access to this same promise of hope which we have as “an anchor for the soul” – Hebrews 6:13-20 (KJV).
Empowered by His Provision
God’s promise always leads to God’s provision. According to attachment theory, all actions, whether good or bad, come from a need. Symptoms of that need are manifested through behavior. Continuation of that behavior is contingent upon intervention. Restoration and healing are based on the success of that intervention.
Despite the complexity of a child’s trauma and their mental health or behavior challenges, the message of hope is that behaviors can be altered by improving our capacity to meet their needs. Put another way, the ABCs of learning (antecedents, behavior and consequences) teach us that behaviors do not emerge out of osmosis, but out of context.
When we understand the need, we can take proactive actions instead of reacting. Creating greater degrees of attunement, or awareness with our children, gives us the capacity to address their behavior by meeting the need instead of punishing the child.
Shielded by His Protection
His provision empowers us, ensuring His protection shields us. Wherever God provides, He guides; To whom He directs, He protects.
There is always an inherent risk of failure for any caregiver who exposes their vulnerability in parenting. Divine protection is not immunization from exposure to mistakes, but assurance that the Lord can prevent you from feeling like you’re a failure as a parent.
Key Takeaway
Be encouraged with these keen insights on how God is shielding you with His protection as you parent your child in this new year:
- God keeps you and your child spiritually safe. Jude 24-25 (KJV) states, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy”.
- God blesses your faithfulness. The psalmist declares in Psalms 37:23-25 (NIV), “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
- God strengthens you with His hope when you are feeling weary. Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV) reminds us that “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength”.
Application
When the storms of life start raging, it can be all too easy to forget all the ways God has been faithful to us. But these are precisely the moments when we need to remember His goodness the most.
Remind your child that God is a promise keeper by sharing a fun-filled activity about Caleb and Joshua in Put on Your Faith Eyes! Find it now in HopeConnect™!
