Sometimes the deceitfulness of the world, the flesh, and the devil entices us to feel good about our anger. So when a child, a teenager, a spouse, or a friend crosses an arbitrary line we feel totally justified in letting them “have it.” We cover our sin by saying, “I know I shouldn’t be angry, but sometimes you just have to say enough is enough.”
Here is one way to tell the difference between righteous anger and man’s anger. Righteous anger does not result in frustration, but in the energy needed to follow God. Your anger results in bitterness, upset towards others and alienation. These are not the marks of a shepherd.
Parents, God calls you to be shepherds, not enforcers. You may feel regret at your anger, but until you repent and embrace the role of a servant / shepherd you will be aiding and abetting the enemy.
Letting someone “have it” is easy. It requires no courage, just pride, to let loose and give others what you foolishly think they deserve. This is why love is the most effective weapon in fighting for the spiritual lives of your children.
Ephesians 4:31& 32 are seldom used as parenting guidelines. This is unfortunate. There is a powerful put off / put on dynamic in these verses to help shepherd your children towards Christ.
4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Don’t capitulate! Join the war of love waged by shepherds led by our King, Jesus Christ!
3 thoughts on “You are a shepherd, not an enforcer!”
I loved reading this article. It’s not very long but you know the saying, “less is more” well this makes you think really hard about your life and the way you are raising your children. I really want the video series on parenting. I think it would help me and my husband, especially with our oldest, he’s 11, who we struggle with a lot. He has A.D.D. and use to have a bad anger problem but we got him into counseling and found out about a year ago that his counselor also goes to our church. If my finances are in place this paycheck or next I really would love to buy the set. Thanks for sharing an inspirational article.
I loved reading this article. You know the saying “less is more” well this is a short article but it is definitely more. Makes you think about your everyday life and how you are living. I have 3 children who I love more then anything and my husband and I try to raise them the best we can with God’s word. But after reading this I’m not sure if some of the things we are doing are right. I would love to order the video series on parenting. My oldest, Terron, has A.D.D. and he has/had some anger issues but is a little better with that now but we still struggle A LOT with him. I praying that maybe the videos will help. What do we have to loose, we’ve tried a ton of stuff and it’s just not effective. If my finances are in order I will get the series sometime this week. If not then hopefully next week I can. I’m excited to watch the videos, maybe it can shed some light on what we can do better or in a different way. Thank you for sharing this article I really needed to hear what this article had to say. God Bless!!
Excellent article to show us all how to correct the “wrongs” in everyone’s daily lives through down-home remedies that are time-tested and moral! Thank you! Matthew 5:9 KJV