Like many little girls do, I started picking out baby names
at a young age. One of the names
that has stuck with me as I’ve gotten a little bit older is Corban. Children are often described as a gift from above, but this 'gift' comes with a tremendous responsibility. In the Bible corban is not a name, but
a word describing something that is dedicated to the Lord or set apart for His
use. What better description is there for a child of godly parents than one
dedicated to the Lord and set apart for Him? You see, we've gotten it wrong, children are indeed a gift, but this gift is not for us to keep.
While children are a gift from the Lord and parents are blessed
with the responsibility of training them up in the way they should go, we have somehow lost sight of the overarching goal. We more often than not become
so consumed with keeping this gift of the Lord to ourselves that we miss out on
the greatest task of parenting: preparing them for service.
I’ve witnessed many
baby dedications in my day in which the parents and child stand before the
Church and commit to raise their child in a God-honoring way with the Church’s
support. Have you truly committed your child to the Lord? What if that commitment means doing
hard things? What if that commitment means allowing your child to face hard
things without you there to protect them?
Parenting is about so much more than protecting your child
from the world; parenting is about preparing your child to be a servant of the
Lord and a light in this dark world. Preparing calls for risk. Preparing requires trust and
obedience.
Children are a gift and being entrusted with the task of raising this part of God's creation is a high calling.
Love your child, for he belongs to the Lord. Prepare your child, for he is set apart for the Lord's use.
Preparing>Protecting
