When we begin talking about parenting we immediately jump into the nitty-gritty of the subject … earning respect, administering discipline, age-related characteristics of kids, etc.

But it might be helpful to begin with an obvious fact, but one seldom given any thought by most of us. God is also a parent!

So before we roll our eyes in his direction as if to imply a lack of understanding on his part, remember the words of I John 3:2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God …” The truth is, God has been raising kids for far longer than any of us. And He hasn’t had just good kids, either. He’s had some problem children.

His first two, Adam and Eve turned into terribly rebellious and willful children and one of his first two grandsons was convicted of first degree murder.

Yet with all the trouble kids can and do cause … with all the disappointments that sometimes accompany the raising of a child, God still calls children a ‘blessing!’ When God pronounced his blessing over Israel, He was quite emphatic that a sign of that blessing would be many children born into their families.

And listen to the Psalmist in Psalm 127:3,4:

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

Why not stop and look at your kids through another set of eyes. See them as God sees them … as divine blessings. Because they really are.