Peacemaking Women by Tara Klena Barthel

Author:Tara Klena Barthel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2005-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

7

FAMILIES

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

Family solidarity strengthens the church. . . . Church and family must be driven by an unswerving commitment to Christ’s crown and covenant.

Susan Hunt1

Families matter. When families are filled with shalom, the world sees Jesus in a powerful way. God shows himself to the world through our familial relationships. Having already briefly looked at marriage in the previous chapter, we now turn our attention to our parenting relationships. For some of us, no relationships cause more consistent conflict than the relationships we have with our own children or our parents. We invest much of ourselves in these relationships, and we are vulnerable to great pain when conflicts arise.

When we parent, we pour an incredible amount of who we are— our prayers, hopes, and energies—into our children. The resulting opportunity for joy and satisfaction, as well as disappointment and hurt, is profound. Our parents have invested much of themselves in us as well. The resulting adult relationships can reflect beautiful fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ. Sadly, they too often entail strife and suffering. The challenges we experience in relating to our children, our own parents, and our spouse’s parents can make life miserable when the investment seems to bring poor returns. We may long for friendship and relationship with our parents and children, but ongoing pain with no apparent likelihood of resolution can lead to broken relationships over time.

The impact of children and parents on our lives cannot be overstated. God’s commandment concerning parents is so important that it is tied to a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Deut. 5:16). In light of the importance of these key family relationships, how do we live as peacemaking women when conflicts in the family arise?

Raising Peacemakers

All parents hope that their children will experience great joy and peace throughout their lives. We pray that Isaiah’s words will be true in our lives and “great will be [our] children’s peace” (Isa. 54:13). Of course, living in a fallen world, surrounded by sinners—some redeemed, some not—we know that peace is not automatic. In fact, the opposite is true: conflict will inevitably be a part of our children’s lives. Therefore, a key responsibility as parents is to raise our children to be peacemakers as part of rearing them to fear the Lord.2

Many of us, however, fail to teach our children the skills they need to lead lives of shalom. We invest time, money, and effort encouraging them in academics, music, and sports, but too often we fail to invest in one of the most worthy pursuits—helping them to be at peace in all their relationships. Raising children to be peacemakers is not easy. But the good news

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