Word@Work Eph72 - Ephesians 6:4
Published: Wed, 01/14/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
BLOWING THEIR TOP
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (NIV)
It is one thing for children to honour their parents, but what about the other way round? This verse would have been somewhat counter-cultural in the 1st Century. Children would have been seen and not heard; they had no rights, only duties. But here we see the heart of God for children. Fathers are not to be unfeeling dragons or unhearing monsters; they have their own special duty of care to their children. Young people certainly need training and instruction, but every bit of information and skill needs to be placed into the context of relating to the Lord (and then everything else will cascade from that).
Exasperation is the final boiling-over of frustration: the point at which non-communication has reached its peak and the child cannot tolerate the injustice or cold, loveless demands any longer. This verse does not say that such emotional ventilation is right, just that fathers should consider how much a child can take; it should never get that far. Although the reaction is the child's, the provocation is from the father - and he is held accountable for the child's reaction. Of course, some parents never set any standards or expect anything, and those children also get frustrated because they lack the safety of reasonable boundaries and achievable goals set for them.
While parents may focus on school achievements as an indicator of success, this verse tells us that the most important training is about the Lord: His love, sacrifice and His desire to enter the heart of every child. The parent who believes this should also start to model the loving nurture of Christ in which the child will feel safe. No extra tennis coaching or maths tutoring can teach God's essentials of living, and without those essentials, children can become well educated but also frustrated in a relationless world. And every extra demand produces extra frustration. That is why we need to work as hard at parenting as we do at work.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for Your extreme graciousness with me, urging and encouraging me to learn from Your Word and giving me good examples to follow. Help me to behave like You towards the children in my care - for their blessing and for Your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
It is one thing for children to honour their parents, but what about the other way round? This verse would have been somewhat counter-cultural in the 1st Century. Children would have been seen and not heard; they had no rights, only duties. But here we see the heart of God for children. Fathers are not to be unfeeling dragons or unhearing monsters; they have their own special duty of care to their children. Young people certainly need training and instruction, but every bit of information and skill needs to be placed into the context of relating to the Lord (and then everything else will cascade from that).
Exasperation is the final boiling-over of frustration: the point at which non-communication has reached its peak and the child cannot tolerate the injustice or cold, loveless demands any longer. This verse does not say that such emotional ventilation is right, just that fathers should consider how much a child can take; it should never get that far. Although the reaction is the child's, the provocation is from the father - and he is held accountable for the child's reaction. Of course, some parents never set any standards or expect anything, and those children also get frustrated because they lack the safety of reasonable boundaries and achievable goals set for them.
While parents may focus on school achievements as an indicator of success, this verse tells us that the most important training is about the Lord: His love, sacrifice and His desire to enter the heart of every child. The parent who believes this should also start to model the loving nurture of Christ in which the child will feel safe. No extra tennis coaching or maths tutoring can teach God's essentials of living, and without those essentials, children can become well educated but also frustrated in a relationless world. And every extra demand produces extra frustration. That is why we need to work as hard at parenting as we do at work.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for Your extreme graciousness with me, urging and encouraging me to learn from Your Word and giving me good examples to follow. Help me to behave like You towards the children in my care - for their blessing and for Your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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