Scripture:
1 Samuel 17:37; Proverbs 22:6; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 7:11; James 1:5; 1 Peter 5:7

Based on:
“Parenting Without Fear,” by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Christian Parenting Today, July/August 2000, Vol. 12, No. 6, Page 51

PART 1

Identify the Current Issue

Note to leader: Prior to the class, provide for each person the article “Parenting Without Fear” from Christian Parenting Today magazine (included at the end of this study).

How many of us who go by the name Dad or Mom remember that first time we laid eyes on our bundles of joy? Ever so gently someone placed our treasure in waiting arms so we could hold this precious one close to our beating heart. Checking out every little feature, we made sure that nothing was missing. We sat mesmerized by this little being, tenderly touching the softest skin ever felt.

As new parents we found it necessary to share anything and everything our little darling did, as if it were the first time a baby ever laughed, crawled, took a step, or even went potty. Each accomplishment was major, perhaps because each little feat reassured us that we must be doing okay at this parenting thing.

At the beginning the feeding, cuddling, and changing were easy, and then we left the hospital! Fear set in immediately. How in the world could we continue doing all those parenting things without the nurse looking over our shoulders?

Discussion starters:

[Q]  Share about a babysitting experience that didn’t turn out well. Share how babysitting did or didn’t prepare you for parenting.

[Q]  Describe good parent role models in your life. Have you emulated them in your parenting?

[Q]  Share a time when you wanted parents other than your own. What was going on in your life at the time?

[Q]  Can you think of a good example of parents from a television show or a movie?

[Q]  What are the necessary components of a nurturing home? What should be missing?

PART 2

Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching point one: We don’t parent alone.

Wray reminds us, “The world is a scary place. A mere glance through the newspaper reminds us just how many dangers our children face.” And yet, we soon learn that we are not parenting alone. Even though this world seems more fraught with danger than the one we grew up in, we can still commit our children to our heavenly Father, who always watches us. How often do we send up quick prayers throughout the day because of an elevated fever, unexplained crying, or not knowing what could be wrong? Yet God is always available.

Years ago, extended families provided more of a sense of community. People were less mobile and spent more time with each other. The number of single-parent homes and latchkey kids has grown over the years, but it’s also true that we don’t parent alone. Thankfully, God is available 24/7. He doesn’t have an answering machine. He doesn’t ask us to hang on as he takes another call. He doesn’t screen his calls or decide not to pick up. In fact, Scripture tells us he longs to hear from us. Read James 1:5.

All we have to do when we are unsure about a decision is to call on the Father. He will readily disperse the wisdom we so desperately need. It’s there for the asking.

[Q]  What is your biggest fear in raising your children? Why is this frightening to you? 

[Q] How does knowing that God wants to give you wisdom, comfort you in your parenting fears?

[Q]  Name a fear you have conquered concerning your parenting. How did you gain victory over this fear?

[Q]  How does the geographical separation of family members affect raising our children? What options can help to close those gaps?

Teaching point two: God enables us to do what he requires.

At some points in our lives we can feel overwhelmed, like there is no way out and we are going under. And yet, if we look back we can remember times when we overcame similar obstacles.

Read 1 Samuel 17:37. When David was about to fight Goliath, he remembered how God had given him the strength he needed before, and trusted him in his current time of need.  All of us face our own Goliaths; they just look different. One practical thing we can do is make a list of times in our past when God stepped in and came to our rescue—things we were afraid of that God helped us face. Making such a list is a wonderful reminder to us of God’s faithfulness. Then when we are tempted to worry or become fearful, we can find hope by reading our personal record of what God has done.

[Q] How could memorizing 1 Samuel 17:37 help you in your parenting fears?

[Q]  What is the most difficult thing about parenting for you?

[Q]  Share about a time when God rescued you and helped you do something you couldn’t accomplish on your own.

[Q]  What would it look like to have succeeded in parenting?

Teaching point three: Pray without ceasing.

The most frightening things can happen to our children; no matter what we do to protect them, it is sometimes not enough. Only God is the ultimate protector. Read Isaiah 41:10.

We will have countless opportunities to pray as we raise the children God gives us. We will pray for safety, but even with prayer there are accidents. Everyone knows of a tragedy where a child was lost. Do we understand why? No, not on this side of glory, but we can get to the place where we trust the One who does know.

Eventually our teenagers get the driver’s license they have been waiting for. But wasn’t it just yesterday they were trying to ride their bicycles without training wheels and running to us for comfort when they fell? Now we feebly wave as they pull out of the driveway, and understand as never before 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray continually.” We pray without ceasing to the God who never ceases to hear us.

[Q]  If you are a parent, you’ve probably experienced a bit of praying continually. How does prayer help us trust God with our children? What must we believe about God to trust him with our precious ones?   

[Q]  What is the most important thing we can pray for concerning our children? As a group, make a top-ten list.  

[Q]  Why do you think it’s easier to take our serious concerns to God, rather than our smaller petitions? Share the smallest thing you have prayed about. What was God’s answer?

PART 3

Apply Your Findings

Wray goes on to say, “It’s easy to think that we have control over our children’s futures. The fact is, most of the time, our kids’ lives turn out completely different than we plan.” And yet, God is not surprised. When the God of the universe looked down into our families, he decided to give us these children. They were handpicked especially for us. Lovingly, he fashioned these works of art and carefully placed them in our arms. But he waits nearby, ever ready to help us with any need. Who could better help us? He wrote the manual.

Read 1 Peter 5:7. God cares about what we care about: these children he has entrusted to us. Listening to our every call, God grants us wisdom to be the responsible parents he made us to be, and he tells us to call on him anytime we need him. Lovingly he meets our needs. Read Matthew 7:11. God is waiting to give to us and to bless us.

Read Proverbs 22:6. God instructs us to train our children. He assures us that if we do, that training will somehow stay with our children. What a comfort it is to know that if we obey God, even if our children stray from the right path we have shown them, they can come back to it. We see this illustrated with the prodigal son. What a perfect picture of how God is with us. Even when we blow it, we are welcomed back into his arms. How wonderful that God our Father can show us how to parent. Even the things that were never modeled for us, God can teach us.

[Q]  Share a specific way that God helped you raise one of your children. What was unique about it?

[Q]  Share a hope you have for your children when they grow up.

[Q]  What is one character trait you possess that you pray does not get passed down to your children?

[Q]  Other than prayer, share something you do to encourage your children’s spiritual growth. How has it been helpful?

—Study by Anne Peterson, a published poet, speaker, and a regular contributor to Christian Bible Studies.

Additional Resources

:  Christian Bible Studies.com
        -You and Your Prodigal Child
        -Who’s Teaching the Children?
        -Loving Discipline
        -Raising Counter-Cultural Teenagers

&  Aren’t They Lovely When They’re Asleep? Lessons in Unsentimental Parenting, Ann Benton (Christian Focus Public, 2003; ISBN 1857928768)

&  Fearless Parenting, Iverna Tompkins (Bridge-Logos Publishing, 1996; ISBN 0882706918)

&  Grace Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel (Thomas Nelson, 2005; ISBN 0849905486)

&  Parent’s Answer Book, Dr. James Dobson (Tyndale House, 2003; ISBN 0842387161)

&  The New Strong Willed Child, Dr. James Dobson (Tyndale House, ISBN 0842336222)

&  Worried All the Time: Overparenting in an Age of Anxiety and How to Stop It, David Anderegg (Simon & Schuster Trade Sales, 2003; ISBN 0743225686)

Article

Parenting Without Fear

Get rid of your anxieties and learn to trust God.

By Sheila Wray Gregoire, for the study, “Fear Factors in Parenting.”

“Jonathan, don’t run so fast!” Andrea called as we sat on the park bench watching our 3-year-olds play. It was tough to get a word in edgewise between all of her warnings to her son. When she realized that I had uttered far fewer “watch outs!” to my daughter, Andrea turned to me and said, “I guess you think I’m pretty paranoid. It’s just so easy for them to get hurt, and Jonathan never looks where he’s going.”

Andrea’s not alone in her “paranoia.” Some degree of fear is natural in parents. We love our kids so much that the thought of anything bad happening to them sends us into a panic. Yet if we’re not careful, this caution can become oppressive. When we let fear dominate our parenting, we can actually shield our kids from the very things they need to be dealing with.

It’s important to let go of parenting fears if we want our kids to be confident and responsible. By acting as watchdog we run the risk of raising kids who are unable to look after themselves. Fear has a way of silencing the God-given instincts we all have for discerning what’s right and wrong, safe and unsafe.

While being conscious of safety issues is important, we have to know when to draw the line and let our kids experience life, even the painful parts. That might mean letting your toddler climb on the jungle gym in the park, even when you’re afraid she might stumble. Or you might need to let your 10-year-old ride his bike to a friend’s house a few blocks away rather than drive him there. Ultimately, only God can completely care for our children. He trusts us to protect them and love them, but as Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” This is our hope as Christian parents: God is in control and we can trust him. He really does have only the best planned for our children.

The world is a scary place. A mere glance through the newspaper reminds us just how many dangers our children face. When you find yourself struggling to let go of your fears, take these steps to help you place your children in God’s hands with faith and confidence.

Surrender Your Children to God

It’s easy to think that we have control over our children’s futures. The fact is, most of the time, our kids’ lives turn out completely different than we plan.

Evelyn Christenson, author of What Happens When We Pray for Our Families (Victor), encourages parents to pray “releasing prayers” for their kids. By releasing your children to God in your prayers, you’re acknowledging his sufficiency—a scary prospect. What if we surrender our kids only to have God respond by doing something awful? I had to pray a releasing prayer when I held my one-month-old son Christopher the morning of his open-heart surgery. I gave my son to God, and Christopher died five days later. But I know now that my prayer didn’t cause Christopher’s death. Instead, it prepared me for the loss because I’d already acknowledged that he belonged to God. Instead of anger, there was peace.

Thankfully, most of us won’t have children who die young. However, God may ask you to release your kids in other ways. I have known parents who pray desperately for God to use their children—just not as missionaries. We must be prepared to trust God, whether he chooses to send our kids to the jungles of Africa, the inner city of Chicago, or a quiet house around the corner.

Live with Hope

The next step is to mold our concept of hope to match God’s. True hope isn’t wishing for something, crossing our fingers and holding our breath until it comes true. To have true hope means believing that God will use your children and guide them through their lives, even if he never reveals how or why.

With this perspective, it’s easier to view our children’s difficulties as character-builders rather than obstacles. I’m sure Joni Eareckson Tada’s parents never dreamed their daughter would be paralyzed in a diving accident. They probably also never dreamed she would impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Tada’s life proves that God can use even the most devastating situation for good. She demonstrates daily the paradox that God’s power “is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). To parent with hope is to understand that the circumstances our kids face are not the final goal, but rather the tools used to shape their character.

Foster Responsibility

In order to parent with hope, we have to change our attitude from overprotection to one that teaches responsibility. Once we allow our children to suffer the age-appropriate consequences of their actions, even if it means watching them get hurt a bit, we give them the chance to learn a little more about how life works. A tumble off the swing set teaches them not to be so reckless. Failure to study results in a poor grade. It’s through experience that our children learn which choices work and which ones don’t.

Rebecca, our 4-year-old, runs to us constantly whenever a child won’t share with her. Since we want her to learn to solve problems on her own, we rarely jump in and insist that the other child share. Instead, we encourage her to work out her own problems with her friends and ask her to think of ways to get along, whether or not she gets her way.

A child who learns to be responsible and independent is ultimately a child who knows how to succeed in life. But as a parent, it’s tough to know when your kids are ready for more freedom. It’s important to allow your child as much independence as possible without jeopardizing his safety. As you watch your child grow in confidence and ability, you’ll be better able to trust his judgment. And the more you allow your children to build life skills, the more you’ll find your fears subsiding.

Pray, Pray, Pray

The final step in overcoming fear is actually the most important: pray often and pray with purpose. Rather than simply asking God to keep our kids from harm, we need to focus our prayers on the character God’s molding in our children.

When Paul prayed for his spiritual children, the Philippians, he didn’t ask that they be spared from persecution. Instead, he told them, “My prayer [is] that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9,10). By praying this way, you’re reinforcing a fundamental truth: being a Christian is no guarantee that life will be easy or free from pain. As you show your children that you trust God to walk beside your family, no matter what life brings, you’ll be showing them that they can trust God with their futures as well.

—Sheila Wray Gregoire is a freelance writer. She and her family live in Belleville, Ontario.

Christian Parenting Today, July/August 2000, Vol. 12, No. 6, Page 51