Keep a long view. Be patient. Realize the necessary long-term gradual development while keeping in mind the final overarching goal. Raising your child will, of course, take several years before launching them into independent adulthood. At the end of the road, responsible Christian parenting involves preparing your children for their God-given vocation, possible marriage, and possibly their own parenting journey.

In our book, Equipping for Life, and the shorter summary, Parenting Essentials, my husband and I argue that biblical parenting consists of three significant elements: responsibility, relationship, and realism. Here, I offer three key aspects of these big-picture principles to encourage parents as they look to guide their families. Specifically, I believe that “the Lord builds the house” through parents who embrace their God-given mission of parenting, exercise a powerful presence in their children’s lives, and adopt a long-term perspective (Ps. 127:1).

Recognize the Sacred Trust of Parenting

Parenting is a sacred trust. It is a mission that has potential to outperform parents’ own experiences and, ultimately, outlast their lives. It is a specific and primary stewardship given by God to each couple that is able to have children. Specifically, the parenting responsibility, according to God’s design, is given to a married couple, a man and a woman, multiplying and exercising dominion over the world God made (Gen. 1:28).

One way that parents manage the earth is through conceiving children and raising them to love and serve their Creator. As maturing image-bearers spread across the globe, they cultivate the land and fulfill the cultural mandate. Parents promote God’s mandate by equipping their children for life so that they can participate in God’s work on the earth.

As a parent, be encouraged that you are not doing this for yourself, or by yourself, but with and for God. Remember that you’re not alone. You have a divine blueprint (God’s plan and purpose for your child), divine instruction (the Scriptures), divine empowerment (the Holy Spirit), and a divinely given support group (the church). Humility and dependence on God are the proper disposition as we recognize that God has privileged us to procreate children.

Many parents lack confidence, are weary from the journey, or feel overwhelmed, defeated, or lack motivation. Add to this the challenges of the current culture that seeks to redefine parental identities and roles amid growing confusion.

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