Children: Gift from God
The Final Page
The very first birth of a human being brought out an important fact. The mother, Eve, correctly observes that it all occurred “with the Lord’s help.” (Gen. 4:1). Our children receive their physical traits from their parents. Genetics determine such things as height, build, hair, eye and skin color, and so forth. But the newly formed infant would still be only a shell if not for the soul, or spirit placed within at conception. The soul does not come to the child from mom or dad - but rather from God. This is why the Scriptures refer to God as “the Father of our spirits.” (Heb. 12:9 and Num. 16:22). It is this unseen, but so apparent part that makes each human being so different from the rest of creation for it is the soul, or inner person, that bears God’s image.
This means that our responsibilities as parents are very great indeed. There are the obvious things which we need to provide for our children; shelter, food, clothing and a safe environment. But even more important, we need to see that the soul is also nourished and cared for. After the physical body is no more, the soul will live on! Our chief priority in this life is to prepare for eternity to come. As parents, we need to influence our children by word and example toward everlasting life in Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:4).
