Click below to listen:
https://families.org.au/broadcasts/parenting-big-picture-perspective
Page 12 of 13
Whenever I sit down to read Proverbs, a giant shadow falls across the page and darkens my view. It’s her – the “wife of noble character” from chapter 31. You know the one? She’s the biblical version of that “picture perfect” mother from your social media feed. Glowing with godliness, she is in equal parts my inspiration and my condemnation.
But if we really want to hear what the whole book of Proverbs has to say about mothers, we’ll have to step out from under her shadow for a moment and keep reading.
The realistic parent’s guide to understanding and shaping your child’s behaviour
by Professor Kim Oates, Finch Publishing, Sydney, 2014.
When we open up a parenting book, we make ourselves vulnerable. We begin cautiously, fearing that what we read might confirm our suspicions that we are fundamentally inadequate for the high calling of parenthood.
However, when I opened up 20 Tips for Parents, my fears were quickly relieved.
The account of Jacob and his family occupies almost half of the book of Genesis. It’s a captivating story about how God’s holy, eternal promises have coursed through the veins of very weak and finite human beings; it’s about how God can work through the mess and grime of family life to achieve his glorious purposes.
And God knows that I need to hear that story today. My family life seems weak—often it feels like we’re just skating on the thin ice of civility, with chaos lying in wait just under the surface.
How could God possibly be at work in this very human family?
Taking a step back from the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of parenting, Harriet Connor explores the bigger picture of what the goal of raising our children is.
“Rather than write another book of ‘rules for parenting’, Harriet Connor has taken a step back to look at the bigger picture. This is far more than just another voice in the multitude with yet another program for bringing up balanced or happy kids. No. This is something better.”
The Equip Women Book Club thinks so!
“Big Picture Parents would make a great gift for the different people in your life: someone who’s about to have a baby; someone who’s been coming to your church for a while; someone who is a parent and didn’t grow up in a Christian family themselves; someone from a cultural background where parenting is driven by guilt, fear and shame.”
“Harriet Connor’s Big Picture Parents is like a breath of fresh air in a world filled with blogs, lists of top tips and Instagram pictures of everyone else’s perfect family. Sometimes it’s all a bit overwhelming and you need to step back and see the big picture.”
http://someanswers.net/episode-eighty-eight-hariette-connor/
“In a noisy world of conflicting theories and judgements about parenting, reading this was like taking a moment to breathe. Connor builds a foundation for parenting rather than telling you how to parent.”
