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* "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."~ Deut. 6:4-7 (We as parents must hold God's Word in our hearts and then impart it to our children by spending time with them and taking advantage of every opportunity to share our hearts and teach them. Discipline is about teaching and making disciples, not punishing them afterwards for our failure to teach!)
* "Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too." ~ Galatians 6:1 CEB (The goal is restoring relationship, and that requires gentleness and humility.)
* “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" ~ Matthew 25:40 (Note: In Spanish, it says "the smallest" of these. What an incredibly powerful thought--how I treat my little ones is a reflection of how I would treat my God.)
* "Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: "Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It's not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant." ~ Luke 22:24-26 (The Message) (My authority as a parent is not a justification for controlling my children; it is the power to care for them.)
There are many passages throughout Scripture that model for parents how we are to treat our children. I believe that all Scripture is valuable, and when we look at the Bible as a whole, it becomes clear that God's purpose is always to bring about healing, restoration and connection with Him. I wanted to focus on some passages that I feel are often overlooked by believers, but I also believe that there is tremendous wisdom in the Proverbs verses, the Beatitudes, the 10 commandments and Hebrews, as well.
When I read over these verses, I see the consistency in the grace that God has lavished on me being poured out on my children, as well. I breathe in the peace, patience, kindness, love and even joy that is the fruit of the Spirit, and realize that Biblical discipline starts in my own life and in the way I teach my children, and grows in our relationship. It isn't something I do *to* my children--it is a part of who we are as we follow Christ.

We are also giving away several parenting book and other goodies from our sponsors this week. Please stop by and enter to win!
This year's beautiful motherhood artwork is by Patchwork Family Art. Visit the store to see all her work.
Day 1: I'm Thinking About Gentle Discipline
Are you considering Gentle Discipline and don't know where to start? Not surprising giving how the media talks about helicopter and permissive parenting. If you like the idea of gentle parenting but don't know where to start then today's posts are for you! Today we are giving away 1 copy of Alfie Kohn's Unconditional Parenting AND 1 set of the Faber/Mazlish books How to Talk So Kids Will Listen... and Siblings Without Rivalry! Click here to enter!
Day 2: Ok, Sounds Good. Now What?
Maybe you've read posts like yesterdays and you are intellectually convinced that this gentle parenting thing sounds great. Now what? Today's posts expand on the philosophy of gentle parenting as our authors break it down. Today we are giving away 3 copies of For My Children and 1 set of the Feelings Flash Cards! Click here to enter!
Day 3: Beyond Punishment
Now that you have a great basis for the principles of gentle parenting let's look at one of the trickier parts of implementation. Punishment. Consequences. Regardless of how mainstream parents talk about it this is the "big scary" thing that many parents worry will make their parenting permissive. Today's authors talk about this important issue. Today we are giving away 2 copies of Positive Parenting in Action by Rebecca Eanes and Laura Ling! Click here to enter!
Day 4: But What About When...?
Today's authors look at some specific situations that many parents face and give us a gentle approach to resolution. Today we are giving away3 copies of Help Your Child Want to Behave by Dr. Laura Markham! Click here to enter!
Day 5: Keeping Gentle Focus
When the society around you is parenting one way it is easy to fall back into old patterns. Reminders about why you want to parent gently and how to do so can really keep you on track. Today's post is by Parenting Gently Contributor Jennifer who shares some of her favorite posts.
You can enter your own favorites (by you or someone else) at the bottom of this post! Please add your name and the title of the post.
3 comments:
Wonderful Dulce! I love how both of our posts have different verses about this! Just goes to show the bible has much more to tell us about parenting than the "rod" verse!
Thank you so much for the resources and links. As two individuals raised in punitive households, my husband and I find each day in the gentle parenting world difficult. We are committed to it and grow in understanding each day but it is not an easy process. It looks like I have a lot of reading to do.
Wow, just wow. I really needed this! I have been following gentle parenting but I love seeing bible versus to match it. I'm thinking about printing this out to put on my wall so that I can be inspired and encouraged when I feel drained. Thank you!
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