Here we are, the week following father's day, and I come across this passage unexpectedly:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4, NIV)

This is something that I've given a lot of thought about lately.  I'm pretty new to the whole idea of Fatherhood, but if we submit ourselves to age-old lessons we have much to gain.  Ignoring God's wisdom as revealed in the scriptures is a mistake.

This is a tough verse to crack.  Oh sure, it sounds easy the first time you read it, but when you really look at it, and try to view it in context, it raises some questions.  First of all, what does it mean to "exasperate your children"?

Maybe some insight is gained from reading Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." This is smack dab in a similar passage that could be labeled "Household Management 101." 

God wants us to be leaders in our household.  Parents are called to care enough about the spiritual health of our children to take a stand when it comes to obeying the ordinances of God.  To do anything less would be neglecting a very important aspect of their development into strong women and men.

But with that admonition to teach and form comes a warning:  Don't embitter, don't exasperate, don't demoralize your children.  Again it sounds like a slam-dunk on the surface, but as any parent knows, correcting your children is very likely to result in an embittered, expasparated young person.

So how do we honor this?  I don't know (remember, I'm new at this), but I think this requires the kind of sacrificial love that Jesus expects his followers to model.  I think we have to love our kids enough to show them the correct path in a loving, caring way.  I pray that I will be able to show our kids just how much I love them and care for them, even when I am telling them things they don't want to hear.

Peace,

Ray