Love Works: Shalom and Parenting

“In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight--a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

Ephesians 2:14 (ESV) 
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

"I stood already committed to the profound duplicity of life, that humankind is not truly one but two. And that these polar twins should be continuously struggling. One of these polar twins, who was the Mr. Hyde character, bore the stamp of the lower elements in my soul.” - Robert Louis Stevenson, Jekyll and Hyde

Romans 7:14-18
Ephesians 6:4

1. Our Kids are not OURS…they do not belong to us!
- “Our kids”, then behavior becomes our source of identity
- You take failures personally
- “Your job” is to turn them into something
YOU ARE A STEWARD…(granted managerial oversight and a representative of the owner)
- Your identity is in Christ (purpose and focus)
- You have no power to produce anything in your children
- You don’t use a list of indicators to measure success. Success is measured by faithful representation of the real owner (God)

“Mr. Hyde” Parenting
1. The Fearful Parent
2. Behavior Modification Parent

GRACE and PEACE based Parenting
1. Your are a profound Sinner
2. Entrust yourself to Christ (the gospel)
3. Filled with the fullness of God