I've heard Beth Moore say on several occasions that becoming a parent was the most soul-baring, soul-invasive event that she has ever experienced. I think she even talked about how "exposed" she felt as a new mom.
I can't really relate to that. I'm not even really sure what she's talking about. Maybe I'm just not that deep.
But I have experienced the raw difficulty of parenting. In fact, I would easily say that raising my two children (and they've been relatively "easy" children) has been the hardest task I've ever been assigned. Hands down. In fact, I'm finding that some of the most difficult parts have occurred in these last few years of parenting as my children enter into adulthood and prepare to fly the coop.
Parenting is tough.
"Enoch was 65 years old
when he fathered Methuselah.
And after the birth of Methuselah,
Enoch walked with God 300 years
and fathered sons and daughters.
So Enoch's life lasted 365 years.
Enoch walked with God,
and he was not there,
because God took him."
(Genesis 5:21-24)
At first glance you might assume I've picked a really insignificant scripture to focus on today. But when you put these few verses into context, you find that Enoch is mentioned in a sizable list of fathers who had sons and lived a long time. But no one else in this list is said to have "walked with God." And that's what makes Enoch worth looking at.
I don't know if Methuselah was a particularly difficult child or if Enoch was just an extremely humble and wise man, but something caused this dad to do things a little differently. He chose to involve God in his life. He chose to talk with God, consult with God, seek God, listen to God. I have to assume that all those things are included in "walking with God" because I know he didn't literally walk with God; he just did life with Him.
What kind of parent am I? Am I the kind that purposefully walks with God? Or am I just like most other parents? Am I just trying to wing it the best I can?
If you apply the math from this list in Genesis 5, I think it would be fair to say that 2 out of 10 parents actually walk with God. Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Methuselah, nor Lamech are said to have walked with God. (Granted Adam did for a while, but my bet is that shame and guilt kept him from seeking God much after he had been banned from Eden.) But Enoch and later Noah are purposefully described as men who "walked with God."
They were different kinds of parents in a string of guys who evidently just did the best they could.
If we walk with God, we also are a different kind of parent than the majority with which we are surrounded. I'm not saying that arrogantly. It's just a fact.
But here's what I know about walking with God as a parent.
- It means my kid sometimes won't get to do what other kids are doing.
- It means I'll make some unpopular decisions.
- It means I'll look awfully old-fashioned.
- It means I'll take the time to talk about spiritual things with my children, oh my!
- It means I'll spend more time on my knees and in the Bible and less time in magazines, talk shows, and self-help books.
- And it means my prayers won't be for my children's comfort or happiness so much as they will be for their growth and holiness.
So the question I ask myself today is, "Where would I fall in a similar list of women if God were to put my name into His holy script? Would it be said of me, 'and Kay walked with God?'"
What about you?
Here's what I do know. God liked it that Enoch walked with Him. He liked it that Noah walked with Him too. He blessed them. He chose them for unique things. He did good works in their lives. I want that. Don't you?Labels: parenting, Walk Through the Bible