Daily Thought for Monday, May 16th

May 16, 2011

Kids – A Blessing or a Curse

“Every child comes with the message that God is not ye discouraged of man.”

-  Rabindranath Tagore

Today’s Thought:

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James Baldwin

Today’s Question

Have you ever noticed;  “Today, children of six seem to know all the questions and at sixteen they know all the answers?” – Anonymous

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

“The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears: they cannot utter the one, nor will they utter the other.”

- Francis Bacon

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate..”

- The Bible (Psalms 127:3-5)

“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

– Elizabeth Stone

If you are the parent of a newborn, depending on how much sleep you have lost, you would probably see children as a blessing beyond expression.  However if you are the parent of a moody difficult preteen, teen or post teen you may be questioning the whole blessing angle of the kid experience.

Being a parent is not an easy job and it is not for the faint of heart.  However, you need to keep this in mind, “A perfect parent is a person with excellent child-rearing theories and no actual children.” – Dave Barry

Remember. “Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there’s always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.” – Marcelene Cox   But the uniqueness and beauty both inside and out of each child adds something special to life and it is those attributes that make each child special in their own way.

“All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting to encounter yourself.” – Gore Vidal   No parent has a perfect child, just as no child has a perfect parent but we need to embrace this truth; each child is a unique treasure and gift from God and we have been blessed with the opportunity to love, nurture and train that child in the ways of God.

Our responsibility is to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – The Bible (Proverbs 22:6)

Today is my son’s twenty-first birthday and as I reflect on his childhood years there were times when I questioned the blessing versus curse conundrum.  However, as I look back and remember the tenderness of his youth, the charming things he would do and say and I see the amazing talents he posses and the potential he has to do great things for God, I have to say he, like every child is ultimately a gift and blessing from God.

“In every child who is born, under no matter what circumstances, and of no matter what parents, the potentiality of the human race is born again; and in him, too once more, and of each of us, our terrific responsibility towards human life; towards the utmost idea of goodness, of the horror of error and of God.” – James Agee

“Children are love made visible.” - Unknown

Today’s Verses:

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers..

Proverbs 17:6

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.  Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.              

Psalms 128:1-6

  And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

                        Mark 10:13-14

Today’s Prayer:

Father, thank you for children who are a constant reminder of what, we as your children must put you through; and still you love us and accept us, just as we do them.