Raising with Gentleness

There is a huge difference between raising children for God and raising children for our own vanity. When parenting turns into pressure, when we demand too much, when we compare, when we speak more harshly than we should — we stir up something in their hearts that closes doors. The Word calls us to raise them with instruction, yes, but also with admonition — with gentleness, with care, with words that build up. Today, reflect on how you have been speaking to your children. Not with guilt, but with openness to change. A word of encouragement spoken today can be kept forever. A criticism thrown out in the heat of the moment can also stay — in a very different way. You have the power to build up. Ask God to fill you with words that edify, that heal, that encourage the small soul He entrusted to you.