SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 3 A Parent's Devotional How can they face giants, if they don't first face lions and bears? 1 Sam 17:34-37 This little expression has been such a wonderful help to me as a parent. Here is what I mean: As parents, we often want to swoop in to help our kids solve their problems. We brush their teeth and finish their chores. We often justify helping them because we either want to move faster (We're gonna be late!) or we feel bad because they are frustrated with a task. This tension is totally normal but if we handle this wrongly, it could be hurtful rather than helpful to our children. Of course, we want to spare them from much of the pain that this world can dish out. This is why they have parents. But, we must also understand that parenting is intended to prepare them to face the world without us. In the end, isn't this precisely how the Lord deals with us. He is with us. He never leaves us. He gives us grace and power along the way. But, he does allow us from time to time to meet various trials (James 1:2). Why? because he longs for us to be fruitful and useful in his Kingdom. They're adorable today, but with hard work, patience and love, they will one day become formidable. God speed! Pastor Brandon #giantslayers Art: David Slaying the Lion, I Samuel XVII 34 from Bible Pictures Old Testament & New J.M. Kronheim & Co., London Lecito Latine (Latin Lesson) Ex nihilo nihil fit. "Nothing comes from nothing." This is a quote from Lucretius, the philosopher, reminding us that anything worth achieving will take hard work.
4 Publizr Home