How to Make the Right Parenting Decision (Devotional)

How strict should you be when you discipline your child? Where should you send your child to school? This plan will teach you four biblical strategies for making decisions that apply to your family. Each day features a real parent who faced a tough parenting decision using biblical principles.

You can find this devotional on the YouVersion Bible App (download the app here), or read the How to Make the Right Parenting Decision on Bible.com

Excerpt:

Melissa and John faced a dilemma when their son Joey turned 5. They had been sending him to a small Christian preschool, but now it was time to decide what to do for kindergarten.

“It was an incredible setting and an incredible community,” says Melissa. But they had not planned to pay for continuing private education. “The decision was a really hard one.”

The Bible suggests we should start the decision-making process by considering the potential consequences of our actions. Deuteronomy 28 shows that some actions bring blessings while others bring curses. Where would Melissa and John’s son experience more blessings – at public school, or in private school? What would be the risks he might face in either environment?

Melissa and John weighted this decision methodically. They listed potential consequences of either action, both in the short term and several years down road when their son would need to transition to middle school.

“We made a pros and cons list,” Melissa says. In addition to the financial concerns and the emotional impact on their son, they evaluated how their values would be represented through either action.

When you face a tough parenting decision, think about the potential consequences of each of your choices. List all the consequences you can think of, both in the short term and in the long term. Does one choice yield more blessing?

Read How to Make the Right Parenting Decision on Bible.com