This is a continuation of a book study on Shepherding A Childs Heart By Tedd Tripp. I started a few weeks ago along with Meredith and Karen.
Chapter 3, Your Child’s development: Godward Orientation
Last week at the end of chapter 1, Mr. Tripp stated that we "needed to understand our children in two broad sets of issues that affect them:
1) The child and his relationship to the shaping influences of life.
2) The child and his relationship to God."
In chapter 2 he went over the shaping influences of a child (which was discussed last week). This week, in Chapter 3 Tripp discusses our children’s relationship with God, or as he states it their “Godward orientation.” By Godward orientation, Mr. Tripp is referring to the fact that every one is religious. All people are worshipers. “Either they worship Jehovah or idols.”
Romans 1:18-19, “The wrath of God is being reveled from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”
Our children (and everyone else as well) either respond to God in faith or they suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Psalms 58:3, “ Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.”
Psalms 51:5 “Surly I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
“We are often taught that man becomes a sinner when he sins. The Bible teaches that man sins because he is a sinner.” Our children are no more morally neutral that we are. We all enter the world the same. Our Godward orientation is the same. We all suppress the truth. We all set up idols of the heart. “The Bible describes such idols using terminology such as fear of man, evil desires, lusts, and pride.”
Mr. Tripp states, “As our children interact with their childhood experiences, they interact from a Godward orientation…They are not neutral. They are not simply the sum total of what you and I put in to them.” They respond in accordance to there own little hearts, according to their Godward orientation.
In my mind, their Godward orientation is always going to be from an idolatrous heart. They are sinners from birth. As they respond to the experiences in their life, it is our responsibility as parent to bring them to the truth. To show them the state of their heart and let them know there is only One, their Maker, who can change their hearts.
This puts the emphasis where it needs to be. In all our efforts to provide good shaping influences for our children it is the Lord who calls them out of darkness into His marvelous light. The Lord is the one that ultimately initiates any work in our children’s heart. This brings up an excellent point that Tripp makes at the end of this chapter. “In all this you must pray that God will working in and around your efforts and the responses of your children to make them people who know and honor God.” I need to pray more for my children!
Chapter 4, You’re in Charge
Now Tripp come to authority. I actually have had no problem with being in authority. I like authority, as long as I’m the one in it and not under it.J This of course, is the first point brought out. WE as parents are under authority, the Lord’s authority. We act as an authority in our children’s lives only because God calls us to act in His behalf in their lives (Deut. 6 and Eph 6). He is the ultimate authority in their lives. We are delegated to this task and duty from Him. Tripp says,” You and your children are in the same boat. You are both under God’s authority. You have different roles, but the same Master.”
The understanding of being under God’s authority as I take authority in my children’s lives gives me not only confidence to act in their lives but also a sobering humility. Tripp says, “Your focus can be sharpened by the realization that discipline is not you working on your agenda, venting your wrath towards your children; it is you coming as God’s representative, bringing the reproof of life to your son and daughter. You only muddy the water when the bottom line is your displeasure over their behavior, rather than God’s discipline with rebellion against His ordained authority.” I “muddy the water” far to often.
The next point Tripp makes is one of my personal weaknesses. He says there is “no place for anger… The only thing children learn is the of fear man, not the fear of God… Any change in behavior that is produced by such anger is not going to move your children towards God. It moves them away from God. It moves them in the direction of the idolatry of fearing man.” My anger is the sin I am continually confess to my kids. God forgive me for my anger and all the angry words that fly from my mouth.
