The most important thing that you can do as a parent - the best way you can love them, is to consider the well-being of their soul. It is your job as a parent to consider and nurture the spiritual well-being of your child's soul. If you think about it, no other part of their being is as important as the soul because it is the part that will never die. Soccer tournaments, band practices, school, social clubs will all pass away but the eternal soul that God has placed in all of us will live forever. (These other things are important and good but must be put into perspective.)
Ryle encourages us about caring for our child's soul: "[What about my child's soul] is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your child." I don't know about you but that scares me a great deal. I often cry out (inside), "Lord what do I do? How do I care for my child's soul?" Again Ryle has some encouragement for us here, "In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, How will this affect their souls?"
I can't help but wonder if we are at times teaching our children to love the world more than we are encouraging them to love God. We often times center our whole parenting lives around indulging our children with all the worldly pleasures that we can find...and no doubt seeing our children happy gives them and us great joy; but are we really loving them by doing this? Are we hiding the ultimate truth to happiness by doing this? If the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, then is all the "stuff" that we are doing for them - does it drive them to love God and know Him more?
A godly parent is one that is willing to be different - heck even be down right weird when it comes to making godly, parenting decisions. What I mean is a godly parent, that wants to train his child for heaven, must be will to do things that go against the flow. What does this look like for you? Maybe no soccer on Sunday? Maybe just limiting activities in general? Maybe not giving our children everything they desire? Maybe a family night that centers around God's Word? Maybe we as parents need to be willing to be "strange" because our parenting is so counter-cultural.
Life is short. The time of being a child is short. The world cannot offer the things that are eternally satisfying. Wise parents are those that train their children for heaven. Wise parenting means training a child to please and follow God, rather than pleasing and following their peers.
Parents, let us take heed of this high and mighty calling of nurturing our child's soul.
