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How often have you heard: “That’s easy for him to say—he never had any children of his own”? Would you listen to what an unmarried man had to say about parenting?
Jesus was such a man. However, He was The Perfect Man. What He said about marriage and parenting carries weight.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the following attributes of highly effective people.
Humility
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
When Leo asked his son Chris to stop teasing his little brother, Chris did not stop. Leo became impatient and slapped Chris on the face. Later that evening, Chris looked sad and quiet. Leo realized that he had mistreated his son and asked Chris to forgive him. Chris was so encouraged by this that he went to his little brother and apologized for teasing him.*
Repentance
“Blessed are those who mourn (for their wrong-doing), for they will be comforted.” When Howard criticized his wife’s meal one evening, she blew up at him and ran out of the house. As he sat alone, Howard realized how often his critical attitudes were wounding his wife. He confessed these attitudes to her, and she forgave him.
Meekness
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
An elder decided that he would devote his remaining years to praying for his descendants. He gave one hour each day in prayer for them. Shortly before he died, he told his family that God had promised him that all his descendants to the fourth generation would be in Christian ministry. This pattern of prayer became a tradition, and God’s promise was fulfilled in this man’s descendants.
Right Living
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Fred’s greatest desire was that all of his children would grow up to serve the Lord. Every evening before bedtime, Fred gathered his family around him for family worship. Even if visitors were there, Fred invited them to join the worship. This has taught all of Fred’s children to have strong respect for God’s Word and for what is right.
Kindness
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
When Larry came home from a week-long trip, he found his wife look-ing weary and sad. To cheer her up, he played with the children before putting them to bed. Then he sat down with his wife to a cup of tea. They talked about his trip and what had happened at home while he was gone. As they talked, the lines began to lift from his wife’s face, and soon she was feeling happier.
Purity
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
When Norman accepted an office job, his wife worried that he might get interested in the women there. He did not listen to her warnings and soon began to have wrong thoughts about one of the office women. They began to run around together, then to live to-gether. Although she later left him and Norman went back to his own wife, he is sorry now that he did not overcome his sinful thoughts before all this happened.
Peace Making.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Ralph’s children were having problems at school and conflicts at home. Ralph realized that he hardly knew his children. After much prayer, he found ways of spending more time with them. He put them in another school where parents could take part in the education. Each Saturday he took one of the children with him in his truck while he did his work. One night each week the whole family did things together. The problems began to dis-appear as the children felt their father’s love.
Fortitude.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jim was discouraged. His house was old and falling down. Jobs were hard to find. His children didn’t respect him and his wife didn’t want to talk to him. He felt like giving up. Instead, he went to see his pastor. As they talked and prayed together, they thanked God for the good things that were left in Jim’s life. In this way, Jim received courage to go on.
These attributes have come to be known as the Beatitudes, after the Latin word for blessed. Parents who practice them bring blessings to their families and communities.
*True stories are adapted from Fathers Studies, © 1990, NYM Ministries, Dryden, ON. Scripture quotations are from Matthew 5:3-10, The Holy Bible, New International Version. Used by permission.
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