The Abstract Art of Parenting

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

(Deuteronomy 6:6, ESV)

This Sunday we begin a sermon series called Variations of A Family. We will begin with looking into our nuclear families but will expand our understanding of family to intergenerational connections and church family.

One of the things about parenting that has stood out to me is that no stage is what I expected. We have worked to not fear coming stages but to embrace and enjoy whatever stage our family is at. But not one stage has been clear-cut or obvious as to how to handle it; even as our children become adults, there continues to be challenges to knowing how to best care and guide.

While my preference is for the things of life to be clear and obvious, with expectations understandable, parenting can feel more like abstract art. The pictures above reveal art that for me is hard to find meaning in, but a beauty remains within it. Even when parenting feels abstract (unclear and challenging), may we work to find the beauty within.