Many say that parenting is like a mirror, where our kids reflect back to us not only our own hopes and joys but also our insecurities. When our child behaves well, we feel accomplished and good. But when they act out or fall short, we feel awful. This roller coaster of rising and falling with a child’s successes or mistakes can leave parents feeling drained and reactive rather than steady and patient.
But through Christian Science, we increasingly learn not to be pushed or pulled by circumstances. Drawing on God’s father-mothering, we see we don’t have to merely endure difficulty or summon emotional restraint with our children. Instead, we can feel the peace that flows from knowing our own—and our child’s—spiritual identity. That is, knowing what’s divinely true of both parent and child as God’s wholly spiritual expressions. This anchors thought in the Life that is God—wholly good. From this grounding, grace and poise in parenting is no longer dependent on a child’s behavior or a parent’s abilities but on God’s ever-present fathering and mothering of all.
The Bible brings us right to the heart of this in Philippians 2:13: “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure” (Amplified Bible). This applies equally to parents and children.
