Parenting Is a Full-Time Job - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- Apr 19
- 4 min read
Parenting Is a Full-Time Job
Proverbs 29:15“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
Intro: Parenting is not a part-time responsibility—it is a non-stop, divine assignment.
It is not something you clock in and out of.
It is not seasonal. It is not occasional.
It is constant, demanding, exhausting, and absolutely necessary.
God never intended for children to raise themselves.
The tragedy of our generation is not that children are rebellious; it’s that parents are absent, distracted, and disengaged.
The Bible is clear - A child left to himself will not turn out right.
It’s a reflection on the parents; not the child.
He will not drift toward righteousness—he will drift toward ruin.
So if we are going to raise godly children in an ungodly world, we must accept this truth:
Parenting is a full-time job—and it requires full-time diligence.
1. INVOKING Biblical Authority
You must constantly remind them—and yourself—that your authority comes from God.
You are not just a provider.
You are not just a protector.
You are God’s appointed authority in that child’s life.
Too many parents are too:
passive
lenient
permissive
afraid of overcorrecting
concerned about being liked than being obeyed
They want a relationship without responsibility.
But God did not call you to be their buddy—He called you to be their parent.
Authority is not abuse.
Correction is not cruelty.
Discipline is not damage.
If you do not exercise God-given authority, someone else will step in and take your place.
2. INVOLVING Yourself in Their Activities
Proverbs 29:15“…but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
That phrase—“left to himself”—is deadly.
It means unsupervised. Unaccountable. Uninstructed. Unwatched.
Your children do not need more independence; they need more involvement.
Your time with them is short.
One day, you will pick them up for the last time.
One day, you will tuck them in for the last time.
One day, they will walk out of your home—and your influence will never be the same again.
So while you have them:
Talk with them
Play with them
Work with them
Travel with them
Laugh with them
Build memories—but more importantly, build influence.
Because whoever spends the most time with your children will have the greatest impact on them.
3. INVESTIGATING Their Friends
Most parents are dangerously naïve.
They trust:
Their child’s judgment
Their child’s intentions
Their child’s version of the story
Their own parenting
But children are easily influenced and are often poorly discerning.
· 2 Samuel 13:3 “But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab… and Jonadab was a very subtil man.”
That “friend” destroyed him.
One wrong friend can undo years of right parenting and preaching.
You better know:
Who your kids are with
Where they are going
What they are doing
What kind of influence is shaping them
Don’t just ask questions - verify.
Watch them interact.
Listen to their conversations.
Pay attention to changes in behavior.
Because bad company disguises itself.
4. INVADING Their Privacy
They do not need privacy except for showers and changing clothes.
It’s not their room; it’s your house.
Take the doors off the hinges if you have to.
It’s not their phone; you paid for it.
Children left alone will hide things.
Sin thrives in secrecy.
Check their phones
Read their messages
Know their passwords
Search their rooms
Monitor their internet activity
That’s not control; that’s care.
You are not violating them; you are protecting them.
And if they protest, they are hiding something!
That means you’re touching something that matters.
5. INVALIDATING Their Foolish Ideas
Children are not born wise—they are born foolish.
· Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
If you validate every feeling and affirm every idea, you will reinforce their foolishness.
Sometimes the most loving thing you can say is:
“No.” “That’s wrong.” “That’s not happening.”
Samson demanded a wife and his parents went along with it.
· Judges 14:2 “…I have seen a woman… now therefore get her for me to wife.”
It led to destruction.
Just because your child wants something does not mean they should have it.
You are not there to fulfill their desires; you are there to form their character.
6. INVESTING in Their Spiritual Outcome
· Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Notice the word: diligently.
That means: intentionally, consistently, persistently
Spiritual growth will not happen accidentally.
You must:
Teach the Word
Model the Word
Talk about the Word
Apply the Word
Church cannot replace what happens in the home.
If all they get is one hour on Sunday, they are not being discipled—they are being neglected.
7. INVITING God to Work
You cannot save them.
You cannot change their heart.
You cannot force spiritual life into them.
But God can.
Pray specifically
Pray daily
Pray fervently
Call their names out before God.
Ask God to:
Convict them
Protect them
Guide them
Draw them
Parenting without prayer is presumption.
You need God in this.
8. INVIGORATING Yourself to Do Better
Do not coast.
Do not get lazy.
Do not assume you’ve “arrived.”Do not settle for average parenting in a wicked world.
Your children are too valuable.
The stakes are too high.
Stay humble. Stay teachable.
Because the moment you stop growing as a parent—you start failing as a parent.
Conclusion: Parenting is not easy, but it is absolutely necessary to raise godly kids.
And one day, the results will speak.
The difference will not be luck.
It will be diligence.
Parenting is a full-time job, so give it everything you’ve got.
