train them up...don't beat them up...

monday, april 14th is Calvary's 2nd birthday. somedays it seems as if 2 years has flown by, but other times it seems as if calvary has been here forever :) i am actually really sad about this birthday. i was sad about harper's 3rd and i think watching her turn 3 has made me sad about how quickly all of this truly goes. the strange paradox of parenting is that each stage has its storms that no parent enjoys, but each stage also has perfect, quiet joys that will can never be recreated. i like to keep up with harper and calvary's funny little statements because i know that as time passes, as it already has, that i will forget these treasures.
in the car, i was listening to a cd with the song "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" and a line within the hymn that really captured my heart was "this is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus." in that moment it hit me that nothing that i have ever done is to my own glory...no good that i have done has been my own...every bit of the right that i have done is a direct result of the redeeming blood of christ. anyone that has played a board game, cards, tennis, or really any other competitive sport with me really knows how genuinely far from righteous i truly am. however, with parenting i pray every day that God will be honored through the way in which i parent my children. just as the scripture instructs our children to honor and obey their parents, it also instructs parents not to exasperate their children.
we have been beyond blessed with most amazing people that care for our children while kyle and i work. the white family provides not only an instructional environment that has been largely responsible for the scholastic growth of my children, but they also provide an environment that enriches spiritual instruction as well. this has been priceless...i told her one day that she not only takes care of my kids but she also takes care of me. we were talking today about submissive and instructional attitudes and she made the comment that the bible instructs us to "train 'em up, not beat 'em up" and i thought to myself how often we forget to correct bad behavior and remember only to punish it.
regardless of whatever parenting stage i am at i can only say that i only learn how to parent that stage effectivley right as that stage ends... also, any and every bit of my righteousness in any area of my life is "nothing but the blood of Jesus..."