Theme of the Week: Making the Most of Vacations
Bible Verse: “Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:1-4
I used to get carsick as a child. “I’m going to throw up!” I’d tell my father. “We’re not stopping!” he replied. I rolled down the window, and… well, you can probably guess the rest of the story.
During the year, my father didn’t have to put up with kids and puke. On vacation, he did.
Vacations are a great opportunity to love our children, but it can be challenging.
Maybe that’s why Paul told fathers not to stir up anger in their children. We know the pattern: Dad gets angry and takes it out on the kids. The kids then get angry.
Paul presents another way. Show sensitivity and care to your children, Paul says. “Fathers should carefully weigh the potential impact of their words and actions before responding to their children,” writes Clinton Arnold.1 No nagging. No harshness. No sarcasm and lots of caution with teasing.
No father is perfect, of course. But if you have children, vacation gives you an opportunity to love your children and to show them what it means to follow the Lord. It can be challenging at times — but we’re challenging too, and God is gracious to us.
If you have kids, vacation is an opportunity to love your children and grow in your patience when needed.
1 Arnold, Clinton E., Ephesians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 418.
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