Never underestimate your resources. That’s what Phil said Sunday. He preached about Jesus feeding the 5000 a feast with just a little boy’s lunch. Jesus provided exactly what was needed exactly when it was needed, and God was glorified. Despite hearing and even teaching that story on numerous occasions, I’d never connected the concepts with my job as a parent until Sunday morning.
Jesus feeding 5000+ is a piece of cake compared to any of us raising a child. Seriously.
Consider this. By the time a child is 18 years old, he or she will eat 19,710 meals. That’s just the basic 3 meals a day. My calculation doesn’t account for the midnight feedings of infants, after-school snacks or the insatiable appetites of teens. I’ve got 3 kids. That means I have to come up with nearly 60,000 meals. That’s a lot of mac-n-cheese.
Feeding the kids is the easiest part.
It’s the leading, teaching, mentoring and supervising that wears me out. It’s knowing when to be consistent and when to flexible. It’s doing it all with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, self-control and a smile every day that is particularly difficult impossible on my own. It’s knowing that they are watching and studying and copying me that stresses me out.
We must lean on our Divine resource to parent well and wisely. If you’re feeling like your family needs an intervention, He’s it. Never underestimate your resources. If you ask, listen and obey, God will provide exactly what you need. There’s hope!
