From Dr. McKay Caston, Creekside Church in Dahlonega, Georgia:
I love it when my children are obedient. Now, don’t get me wrong. They are not always obedient— far from it! (After all, they are my kids, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.) I said that I love it when they are obedient, particularly because it makes my life so much easier. Consequently, it is easy for me to focus on their behavior. I give them rules and tell them to obey… or else! When they obey, we get along wonderfully. When they disobey, they get the “or else.”
However, if my primary parenting goal is to raise outwardly obedient, well-behaved children, then in the end, I will not be serving them well. This is because, as a parent who claims to follow Jesus, my goal in the child rearing process is not merely to see my children reformed morally, but to see them transformed spiritually– and there is a huge gulf between those two goals. The former focuses on actions. The latter focuses on motives. The former wants to create a rule-keeper. The later desires to shape a Jesus-lover. The former demands immediate results. The later recognizes that reaching the heart of a child is a process.
