HARD IS NOT BAD
by Joey & Carla Link
September 2014
Do you ever feel discouraged in your parenting? Do you feel like giving in or backing off from raising your children the way God wants you to because it is just too hard?
The next time this happens, perhaps you will think of this story. There was a girl born to a well-to-do family. She was much loved and desired, until she caught an illness when she was 2 yrs old. This illness left her blind and unable to hear. The family hired a woman named Anne to work with her, expecting little in return. They greatly underestimated the determination and spirit of the this woman they hired.
She worked tirelessly with this young girl, putting up with her horrible temper tantrums along the way. It took two long years, yet Anne taught her charge to read and write using braille and to communicate with others through signs. Anne wasn’t this girl’s mother, yet she was committed to seeing this young lady succeed, even with the imperfections God allowed her to have.
And succeed she did. The reward was great when her student, now a young woman, graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College. Anne had spelled every word of every lecture into this girl’s hand during her college years. Can you imagine?!
Helen Keller went on to become a prolific author and speaker on behalf of those with disabilities.
Your child has imperfections too. You may be raising a strong-willed choleric who is determined to be in control, or a lazy phlegmatic who doesn’t see the need to get anything done in a hurry, or a happy-go-lucky sanguine who is easily distracted and doesn’t get their stuff done without constant reminders from you.(Do you want to know more about temperaments – see the Mom’s Notes presentations, “Understanding Your Child’s Besetting Sin, Parts 1,2,3”)
And your child is being raised by imperfect parents. Do you have the determination of Anne Sullivan to train your children in the character they will need to succeed, or are you too busy with other things to give this the time and effort it takes? Anne could have done the bare minimum when working with Helen and that would have been okay with everyone but Anne herself.
Bev Linder, author of the book A Never-Give-Up Heart, said in her recent blog post to parents of children of special needs,
“Hard is not bad”
Hard is not bad, it is just hard. Don’t give up parents and don’t give in. Biblical parenting is hard work. Keep the big picture in mind. God gave you each of your children to train up to love and serve Him with all their hearts. Do you want your kids to succeed in God’s eyes? By God’s grace, be more determined than your children are.