Every parent starts with high hopes and in time begins to absorb the immensity of both the length and depth of the task. And then fear creeps in, accusing us of failures, making us second-guess our decisions, and terrifying us with possibilities of failing with our children. Parents love their children passionately and want the very best for them. The possibility of not succeeding can feel overwhelming. The best news of all is that you aren’t parenting alone if you are tackling this adventure in partnership with God Himself. A wise friend once said, “Only God can take your teaching and put it in a child’s heart.” Only He can cause your instruction to grow. Only He can change hearts. And heart growth is the ultimate goal of parenting, not behavior modification.
-Dennis Rainey
