SINGLE PARENTS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!! The alarm goes off, and you look at the clock. It’s 5am in the morning. Your long and draining day has just begun. You rise up, get the kids ready for school or daycare, and then feed them. While they’re eating, you get dressed for work. You leave home, drop the kids off at school or daycare, fight the morning rush hour traffic, and arrive to work on time. Once at work, you have to deal with an annoying boss, loud, gossiping co-workers, and a host of impatient customers for eight hours or more. Finally, you leave work, fight afternoon rush hour traffic to pick up the kids from school or daycare, and stop by the grocery store to pick up some essentials for the house. You get home, cook dinner, help the kids with homework, do a little cleaning, and get the kids in the bath. Lastly, you take a shower, maybe watch a little TV, and then go to bed. Five hours later, the process starts all over again! Being a single parent is no doubt, a full time job in itself. It can be a very difficult task trying to raise kids and keep the household in order at the same time. Let’s face it, sometimes it is better to have two parents contributing to the well-being of the kids and household than it is just one. God knew this, that’s why HE said, “Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:2) But, nobody’s perfect, and you never know what hand life is going to deal to you. That’s why it is so important to make sure that you stay in the WORD and seek God for assistance. HE makes it crystal clear that no matter what circumstance you may encounter as the result of being a single parent, that you can always come to Him for support. He says to, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) Being a single parent is crucial in the lives of kids, and with it comes a great deal of responsibility, from a bible standpoint. Let’s take a look at a few of the obligations of both single mothers and single fathers. First of all, single mothers, I commend you! But don’t stress the fact that the father of your children is not around to help you raise them. And don’t dwell on the fact that you don’t have a husband around to help teach them about life. If it is God’s will, HE will bless you with the ideal husband for you and the perfect father for your kids. But for now, Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband – the LORD Almighty is His name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; HE is called the God of all the earth.” And Deuteronomy 6:5 states that you are to “Love the LORD your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” In regards to your kids, the bible teaches that you are to love your children dearly (Titus 2:4-5), and to talk about God’s commandments with them often during the day. Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “Talk about them (God’s commandments) when you sit, at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Its ok to let your kids play video games and hang outside with their friends, but it is more important that you teach them the way of the Lord often and at a young age. For if you “Train a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Too many kids today can recite the words to every hip hop song on the radio, verbatim, but can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer at all. We need to get back to that old school style of raising kids. Ladies, I know it’s hard, and I know it seems like you don’t get enough rest from your day to day activities. But Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 to, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The devil wants you to be afraid. He wants you to believe that the whole world is against you and that you can’t make it on your own; but guess what? The devil is a LIAR! You have a God above that says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Don’t sweat the fact that you don’t have enough money to pay for her ballet lessons. Don’t sweat the fact that you can’t get those soccer shoes for him yet. Don’t sweat the fact that the refrigerator is getting bare and the bills are becoming due. Trust in God and know that HE is the ultimate provider of ALL things in heaven and on earth, and, HE will supply your every need, if you would just come to Him, ask, and believe. To the single fathers, I applaud you as well. Some may think that single fathers have it easier than single mothers, but I expect that you carry some of the same burdens as they do. However, as a father, you have a greater responsibility of acquainting your kids with the scriptures. Ephesians 6:4 says that “As fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” It’s ok that your kids play sports and are big fans of Kobe Bryant and Serena Williams. But they should also understand that no human being on the face of this earth should ever be considered an “idol” to them! Instead of trying to “Be like Mike,” how about showing them how to “Be like Christ!” Also, teach them 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” As a father, it is up to you to teach them Christian values early to build and shape their character. It is also important that as fathers, that you set an example of a Christian lifestyle to your kids. Nowadays, kids imitate everything that they see their parents doing at an early age. It has gotten to the point that you have to watch every little thing that you say around them, because they will repeat your every word. Fathers, it’s time to step up, and do away with all the cursing, swearing, inappropriate conversations, and indecent behavior, around the kids; for all of these things you did when you were young. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Also, don’t depend on any other man to take care of your kids, and don’t expect their mother to bear all of the responsibilities of raising them all by herself. As the old saying goes, “Any dummy can be a daddy, but it takes a real man to be a father.” Single parents, remember; you are appreciated! It takes real courage, faith and strength to put up with the problems and responsibilities that you face day to day. No one expects you to be perfect. Just do the very best that you can. If you keep God first in everything that you do, whether it’s raising your kids, to work, to your finances, then you will be blessed abundantly. Life may be tough, but guess what? Youve got a God thats tougher! To all of the deadbeat mothers and fathers out there, God has a warning for you; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) So let it be written, so let it be done! REAL TALK! Amen. #TheRealTalkChristianChronicles
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 14:17:00 +0000
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