Complete Holiness

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. 2 Corinthians 7:1

THERE ARE PLENTY OF EXPERTS out there anxious to tell us how to parent our children. But much of the “how to” ignores the “why.” Paul gives us a very clear “why” in 2 Corinthians 7:1: “because we fear God.” Because we fear God, we are working toward increasing holiness in every aspect of our lives. Because we fear God, we are constantly confronting sin rather than ignoring it or justifying it. Because we fear God, we recognize that parenting is not solely about growth in our kids. Instead, we realize that God intends to use the process of parenting to bring to the surface sins that need to be dealt with.

It is easy to become focused on trying to keep our children from everything that will defile their body or spirit while being careless about the things that defile our own body or spirit. We can be rigid about what they watch on the screen while convincing ourselves that we won’t be polluted by what we watch. We can tell them to share while we are unwilling to share with those in need.

God uses parenting to purify us even as he is at work purifying our children. Sins we never saw before rise to the surface and must be dealt with rather than ignored —sins of subtle rebellion against God; sins of idolatry as we discover financial security or personal safety has come to mean too much to us; sins of the heart such as pride, jealousy, or a sense of entitlement. Unless we “work toward complete holiness” we can become more demanding, more controlling, and more resentful as parents. But as we allow our children to play a part in our quest for complete holiness, we discover that God intends much more for us than simply raising our children. He intends to use them to push us forward in our own spiritual growth.

Because I fear you, Lord, I want my life to be marked by increasing holiness. That means the sins that need to be dealt with are going to have to come to the surface. And it seems that parenting is constantly revealing the reality of my inner world. So, Lord, as you work in me, I want to work toward pleasing you more and more.