Problem Children

Just a reminder to self as I consider the specific needs of my children this morning.

I have a child who is in love with self, wants attention, and is intensely persistent about getting it. I must remind myself that just because I see this tendency doesn’t mean that my other children don’t have a problem loving self.  I simply am more aware of this child’s particular manifestation of selfishness.

In every “problem” as I consider my children, I am reminding myself that although the manifestation (the fruit) of sin may be uniquely present in a single child, the roots of selfishness, pride, anger, lying, and so on are the same.

Somehow in our house, the children who seem most vocal seem to get the majority of the discipline. It’s easy to feel like that child or the other needs the most prayer and help at the moment, but all my children need prayer. As I study the needs of my children, it’s easy to focus on their sins, rather than their walk with God.

I need to be faithful to teach them how to have a clean conscience, how to spend time in the Word, how to love and fear God. These are good lessons for me, too!

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6