One Verse Every Parent Needs to Know

by Elizabeth | Sep 8, 2014 | Learning Story

“He who began a good work in you…

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

This is a reprinted story with an update — because the gospel never changes…

When I was a younger mom of younger kids, I used to think if I got them to 18, I was done.

Pause for huge guffaws of laughter from other parents who always knew differently.  Even before my oldest son turned 18, it had become apparent to me that the knotted tangle of love, hope, admiration, sometimes-fury, and occasional pain that describes my mother’s heart will be with me for life.

Today, my eldest son turns 21. By now no doubt lingers about how long I will be a Mom.  Even though yesterday as he was packing to return to college he casually mentioned, “This may be my last summer living at home.”  (Wait, how did that happen?  He’s only a rising junior — yes, senior by hours, but I thought he was going to prolong it for at least another football season?)

Clearly, I could ramble along in my ambivalence for too many paragraphs, but let me reach the point.

The verse that began this post was my son’s verse.  It became his verse when I was going on two weeks overdue in a hot Atlanta August, turgidly, miserably, pregnant, thinking I would lose my mind if one more person called me to see “if the baby had come yet.”  At that time, a Steve Green song was popular in Christian circles:  “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it…”  I began to listen to it over and over, and took it quite literally.  I “psalmed” it, that is, I screamed out to God, “Okay, Lord, you began this GOOD WORK in me, and you said you would be faithful to complete it!”  Any time now would be fine with me.

It was a few more days, fully two weeks late before the doctors agreed to do a pitocin induction.  And then another 33 hours.  But my son doesn’t want me to get into my travails in bringing him into the world.  He’s heard it all.

That verse has served us BOTH well over the years.  Since he is the firstborn son, I am pretty sure my chief sinner status has chiefly landed on him in my parenting.  How many times over the years have I needed to recall, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus?”  I used to think it was just about him — “Yes, God will grow my son up…”  Then I realized the verse was for ME.  Or perhaps both of us. Or, more likely, for all of us. 

Addendum: That son is now 25. I can now see that the good work God began was not simply his conception, and its completion was not his long-awaited appearance in flesh:-)!

God had great works for my son’s good and His glory to do. He is a young man complete in Christ, at peace in the knowledge of who he is. He is a young man restless and determined, being constantly refined and matured by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

We have four children now, aged 25-19. Now I can see how God has faithfully redeemed me, liberating me by his grace to offer good gifts to our children:

After 25 years of motherhood,

• I am slightly more likely to clean up the kitchen alone without killing the atmosphere with malodorous martyrdom.
• I now hold the reins of control over my children’s lives a little more loosely (that’s a little easier when you don’t have much choice:-).
• And I am entirely free from flying into a rage over lost cleats 🙂 (true, only b/c we don’t fight that battle anymore:-) – but I’m hopeful for not doing that with grandchildren!)

Parenting is a long journey — a lifelong one as it turns out. I’d love to hear from you. In what ways does Philippians 1:6 encourage you? What stories do you have of the maturing work God has done in you or your children along the way?