First Things First

In First and Second Things, CS Lewis wrote, "You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first."  Of course, this begs the question, "What thing should be first?"  There are a slew of possible answers as to what people think should be most important: love, happiness, money, safety, marriage, and so on.  With regards to children, our culture tells parents that they should put their children first, making the necessary sacrifices to give them what they need for their well-being and happiness.  This holds true for many "Christian" circles, too.  After all, "Children are a blessing from the Lord" (Psalm 127:3), so it would make sense that we should prize their happiness, right?

But the Bible is clear that we need to put Christ first. It is only by obeying and seeking God that we can have true joy and meaning in life.  Furthermore, God is most of all concerned with our holiness, not our happiness.  He will use our circumstances (marriage, children, other family, job, finances, health, etc) to make us more like His Son Jesus.

As a parent, the best thing you can do to disciple your child is to become a better disciple yourself.  Pursue Christ and live for Him.  Give your time and money courageously and sacrificially.  Be in authentic community.  Seek to know Him more through scripture and prayer.

Our kids may want us to focus on them, but they need us to focus on Christ.