Article January 24, 1994 Issue

The parenting of our divine Parent

We're never for a moment separate from the infinite wisdom and resources that our Father-Mother provides.

Joan Sieber Ware

A Little three-year-old friend had just become an older brother. He could see how much time this new little brother was taking from his mother and what a big change this was bringing to his family. He soberly confided to his mother, "The next time we get a new brother, he'll have to bring his own mother!"

Not just children feel this way. New parents often wish these new bundles came with instructions! I'll never forget the feeling of helplessness I had the day my mother left for home after helping us for a few days with our first baby. Four years of college and six years of elementary school teaching offered nothing that could show me how to take care of this one little baby.

Teenage years sometimes present a greater challenge to parents as they grapple with decisions about what to do, what not to do, when to let go, when to say no. Clearly, no human parent can possibly have all the answers or wisdom, resources or strength, to cover all the situations that come with raising children. Sooner or later a challenge arises that leaves us realizing we need help if we're to do this job right. That feeling can be beneficial if it brings us humbly to our mental knees and prepares us to begin to understand that God is the only true Parent. In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes, "Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man" (p. 256).

Send a comment to the editors