Being a parent is one of life’s most delightful and rewarding experiences. At the same time, it can be one of life’s most exasperating and demanding challenges. Parenting works best when we are loving and understanding, consistent and calm in our reactions, and wise and mature in our actions and attitudes. But who on earth does all of that all the time?
We know that we are all sinful and in need of salvation, but often, we fail to consider that we bear the specific “bents” of our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. When we think about it, all of us must admit the direct link between the people we have become and the lives of those who formed our heritage—for good and for ill.
Nowhere in 1 Samuel 25 does it mention her physical appearance or age. In a world obsessed with youth and beauty, examples like Abigail remind me how living for God creates character with remarkable, unmatched beauty.
When all is said and done, you’ll say, “Honestly, I didn’t figure this thing out. It must have been God.” Talk about mysterious! The longer I live the Christian life, the less I know about why He leads as He does. But I am absolutely confident that He leads.
Can we trace certain acts of iniquity back to our ancestors? The answer is “yes.” The sinful “bents” of our ancestors do not stop with their deaths. Wise are the parents who understand this, observe it in their children, and deal with it appropriately in order to bring an end to long-standing familial iniquity.
If you feel like you’re still in that waiting and wondering phase, I’d suggest that you think of yourself as already on the path of your calling. Think of what fires you up and how that can be used to minister.
No matter how hard parents try, children are determined to go in a direction different from the parents’ desire, and the rebellion persists. What went wrong? What’s missing from this domestic equation? Why is the battle so difficult? The problem boils down to the natural “bents” in every baby.
We dare not allow Easter to pass without sufficiently rejoicing in and declaring our hope. It is Jesus Christ—the miraculously resurrected Son of God—who remains the object of our worship and the subject of our praise.
Join Chuck Swindoll in his Easter message, As Dawn Arrived…He Arose, and allow the light of Christ’s Resurrection to give you hope today. Remember that “weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
We want you to know how much we care about you. When you send us your prayer requests, we take them seriously, and we have some very special staff members who pray for you. When you let us know about what you’re going through, we share that with one another, and we remember that before the Lord.
Insight for Living is committed to excellence in communicating the truths of Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives, as well as their significant role as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.
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