A Christian is never dependent on the response of others to grow spiritually. It's our own heart's decisions that matter

The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted by how closely our children are walking with the Lord.

A defeatist attitude kills almost as many marriages as do affairs.

Having children made me confront my true fears and trust in God many times over in a much more intensified manner.

Our children may, at times, make parenting very difficult. Sometimes, we might be tempted to say, "Fine, I'm done with you!" But God is never done with them and we're still called to be their parents.

When God entrusts his children to us - for they're all ultimately his - he knows what we lack, he knows where we're weak, he knows how we tend to sin, yet still he places these children in our households and under our care.

A large part of parenting is about managing weariness and motivation. Much of the success of parenting is about avoiding the sins of "omission" as well as "commission." You can feed, clothe, and house your kids and not really parent them. When we raise kids for selfish reasons (to feel proud, to have people love us and appreciate us), if they disappoint us we'll pull back. But when we realize that God has called us to raise godly children and God is always worthy to be obeyed, we have a motivation that goes beyond our own pride and our own comfort.