I recently ran across the book, Billy Graham in Quotes by Franklin Graham. It’s a great little book with quotes organized by topic (age, anxiety, money, prayer, life, and others). I took note of two great quotes from the parenting section:
“Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy.”
“What a blessing it is for parents to believe in their children.”
What actions do we need to take to follow these two quotes?
Praying
The first action is simple – pray for your home. Pray your home will be filled with grace and mercy. As you pray that prayer, your heart will begin to change. When you live with more grace and mercy, peace will follow.
Believing
The second quote reminds me of a story I read by Rabbi Rubenstein. The local university contacted a grade school about trying out a new test they had designed to detect “late developers.” This test would indicate children who were about to emerge to greater academic heights, no matter how they had previously performed. The university professors tested all the students. Teachers were amazed to learn that students they had written off would start doing well within six months.
The university professors had made the whole thing up. They simply gave a grade level IQ test. The lowest scoring students were named as the “late developers.” Amazingly, every one of those children did start doing well because the teachers believed in them and put in more effort. It’s an example of the power of believing in your child.
I love the way Billy Graham puts it – “What a blessing for parents to believe in their kids.” It is truly a blessing. And the blessing keeps going throughout your children’s lives!
How will you take action today?