Today I heard a parent say something that I've rarely (if ever) heard. When referring to a season of spiritual searching that their child is going through, this parent said something to this effect: "We want him to be able to ask questions and be in situations where God becomes all that he can rely on... because God ultimately is all that we can rely on."
What a brave and daring statement. Most parents only wish for comfort and safety for their children, spiritually speaking and otherwise. What this parent was saying, in effect, was that their child's ability to trust in God was more important to them than their ease of conscience or mind. They were encouraging a struggle... even pain.
It is sure that no parent can desire pain for their child, but by trusting in the sovereignty of our almighty God, we begin to understand that the temporary fleshly pains of faith questions are much more bearable than the long-term trails of a faith crisis.
So, we as parents, seem to be faced with a choice as our children move toward adulthood. We can continually give them quick answers to their questions about God and the faith, not allowing them to test it themselves, and ultimately not trusting that God will hold them in His care throughout the process, OR we can probe, ask more questions, and gently lead them toward the places where they will find the answers for themselves.
This is a subtle and difficult art in shaping the spiritual lives of students.
In Christ,
Andy
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