My greatest fear as a parent is not

that my kids might have trouble with these issues:

drugs
premarital sex
peer pressure
marriage to the wrong person
foolish decisions
that they will turn away from the faith

My greatest fear as a parent echos the words of Psalm chapter 69, verse 6…

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GO

D of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.

I fear that I might somehow lead my children astray…

By living a poor example of a Christ-follower.
By something I say that wounds them deeply.
By patterns in how I treat them that could foster bitterness in their heart.
By some failing in my life that brings shame to the family or the name of Christ.

And that kind of fear can be a good thing for a parent to have…

It’s one of the reasons that I have a personal time with the LORD each morning.

It’s one of the things that motivates me to work on my own defensiveness and impatience.

It’s one of the reasons I continually ask the Spirit of God to kill the pride in my life.

Not only is my relationship with the LORD precious enough that I want to make sure I’m not offending Him, I’m also aware, almost minute by minute, that I am one of the most influential people in the lives of my children.

Think about that for a minute.

If you are a parent, you are one of the most influential people in your child’s life.

That’s a heavy responsibility that SHOULD strike fear into your heart.

So I invite you to join me in praying this prayer in regard to your children everyday,

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.