Parenting is such a personal thing. There is this minefield of issues that we all try to navigate our way through…breastfeeding, vaccinating, discipline, circumcision, education, and so many others that I can’t even begin to list them all. Most parents go with the flow, choosing what is mainstream or most common. Others choose to research everything to death and make decisions based on that. Still others reject anything that is mainstream simply because it is mainstream. I’m of the research camp. Sometimes that leads me to do things that are mainstream and sometimes it doesn’t. But any decision I make is backed up with lots of thought and careful consideration. I try not to force my opinion on others. If asked how I feel about an issue, I will tell you and back it up with knowledge. I might share with you something that worked so that you can celebrate with me, but I don’t expect you to try the same thing or for it even to work for you and your family.
My faith is much the same way. I’m not a Bible scholar. I’m not some brilliant theological mind. But the opinions I do hold come from research. I turn to my Bible and when it’s not perfectly clear, I google. I read articles on both sides of the issue and form my thoughts based on what I know about God and his grace. But at the end of the day, my beliefs don’t matter. I am not the final judge and I am not going to force you to live by my set of rules. I’ll tell you what I think and I’ll live my life as an example to others, but I do my best not to judge.
Often parenting and faith go hand in hand. I make decisions based on what the Bible says (or doesn’t say) about the matter at hand. Unfortunately, the Bible can be twisted to justify almost any terrible behavior. And then there’s the whole “New Testament vs. Old Testament” quandary. So that can make it hard. In the end, I do what I think is best for my child if there’s no clear consensus. (And frankly, the only thing I’ve found to be absolutely clear is that we are supposed to love these kids and do our best to take care of them and raise them to be good people. Really.) So when you tell me that something I’ve done (or not done) in regards to my child is something that is Biblically indicated when I know it isn’t, I get a little bit upset. Luckily I’m past it. Psalm 37 has put me in a better frame of mind this morning. There are a lot of people in this world (especially many of the people who call themselves Christian) who would benefit greatly from that scripture.
But just remember…question my parenting, question my faith…but questioning both at the same time is below the belt.
(And just to be clear, this was not something coming from my church. BCC is still super cool.)
